Aurora of the High Heavens RE-WRITE
by RayvnAshes2
Summary: On Tenrou Island, Zeref sent Lucy back to Fairy Tail before Acnologia's arrival. Suddenly left with a depressed guild trying to keep things together, Lucy grows up as she ensures that they stay together and continue being the strongest guild in Fiore. When the Tenrou group comes back, they find themselves shocked. Rated T, includes LaLu, GaLe, Jerza, etc., lots of XOVER characters.
1. Determination

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything involving the crossover characters that I will be bringing into the story later on.**

 **Note: this is a re-write of my story Aurora of the High Heavens. It's basically going to be the same thing, just with much more detail that I skimmed over originally. Be sure to check out the original if you're curious as to what's going to happen before I post the re-written chapters here!**

 **Warning: SPOILER OF ONE OF THE RECENT MANGA VOLUMES! Seriously, it's a big hint, though I don't outright say it. For those of you who are keeping up with the manga, it's the thing with Natsu's origin.**

 **Anyway, there will eventually be a bit of slash/yaoi/boy love in this story. If you have anything against homosexuality, either deal with it or stop reading. The two characters in question aren't really major characters in the story, though.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Zeref stared at the group of Fairy Tail mages.

So these were the legacies left behind by Mavis Vermillion?

They were strong, he knew. It took a lot to be able to defeat one of the guilds in the Balam Alliance.

Still, they weren't strong enough.

It was disappointing, really, to find out that Natsu would not yet be able to kill him.

 _ ***MANGA SPOILER BEGINS***_

He closed his eyes and gasped sharply as memories played out before his very eyes.

A library, books upon every table. A huge, strange-looking door (perhaps a gate?), draining magic from its environment. A baby, crying—

He shook his head as he tried to get the images out of his head.

Seeing Natsu had brought back things that he would rather have forgotten.

 _ ***MANGA SPOILER ENDS***_

Glancing at the mages, one by one in an attempt to distract himself, his eyes fell upon the blonde girl.

Or, more specifically, the gold and silver keys he could see in a pouch on her belt.

"A Celestial Spirit mage." He murmured quietly. Thoughtfully.

The Fairy Tail mages strained to hear him.

Whenever something big happened, a Celestial mage tended to be in the middle of it all. Perhaps their magic was so potent because their magic was used to summon immortal beings from another world, he didn't know.

What he did know was that she was a security risk.

"Well, let's just take care of that, shall we?" he suddenly asked, slightly louder than before.

Suddenly, a large, black magic circle appeared on the ground in front of Lucy. Her eyes widened, and she tried to jump off of it, but it quickly became a black, swirling whirlpool.

"LUCY!" Natsu yelled, lunging towards her.

As the Fire Dragon Slayer broke the others out of their shock, they also tried to grab ahold of the young blonde.

Natsu might be able to survive an attack with Death Magic by using the scarf Igneel had given him, but Lucy had no such protection.

Unfortunately, they were too late.

As quickly as the whirlpool had appeared, Lucy was sucked in, vanishing in seconds despite her attempts (and that of her friends) to get out.

The whirlpool disappeared, and all was silent.

Until…

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Natsu roared, trying to leap at the Black Wizard, only to be held back by Erza and Gray. "Guys, what are you doing? We have to get Lucy!"

"Natsu…" Erza whispered sympathetically.

"I didn't kill her." Zeref informed him, sounding slightly amused, though he still had a bored expression on his face.

Creepy.

"Now. I believe something else requires your…attention." Zeref said, before turning and walking away.

Natsu was about to try and follow him again, until the Fairy Tail mages heard a deafening roar.

"Is that…" Wendy gasped, her hand going up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened exponentially.

"It can't be." Gajeel muttered, equally shocked.

"The roar of a dragon!" Natsu finished, eyes wide as his attention was diverted from Zeref.

The mages cried out in shock as a huge black dragon flew towards them.

"Shit." Laxus muttered.

He just _had_ to follow his gut feeling and come here to help, didn't he?

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, the rest of the Fairy Tail guild gasped or screamed in shock as a black magic circle appeared on the ceiling of their guild hall. Seconds later, Lucy fell out, landing painfully on a table.

"Lucy-nee!" Romeo shouted worriedly, the six year old rushing towards the girl, before turning to Macao. "Dad, help!"

The acting master jumped into action, ordering for the girl to be brought to the infirmary, and for Laki to go get Porlyusica as quickly as possible.

They were all shocked when the blonde shot up, looking around frantically.

"Lucy?" Kinana asked hesitantly, slowly walking towards the other girl.

"We need reinforcements at Tenrou!" Lucy demanded, scaring the others with the pure authority in her voice. They had never heard her so serious.

"W-what?" Macao asked, baffled.

"We were attacked by Grimoure Heart, who were looking for Zeref." She said impatiently, sitting up and running towards the communications lacrima. "Incidentally, we also ran into Zeref himself. Surprise, he's not dead. The others are still on the island!"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, and Quatro Cerberus had all sent out a dozen mages at Lucy's request.

They were too late.

Tenrou Island had been destroyed.

At least, that was the opinion of the others. Lucy, on the other hand, knew that it hadn't been. It hadn't merely been destroyed.

It had disappeared.

The question was: how?

* * *

It was silent as the guild processed the information that the other guilds had just given them.

"LEVY!" Jet and Droy suddenly cried, collapsing on the ground.

Macao collapsed onto his stool, mind trying to grasp the situation that they had found themselves in.

"They're still alive." A voice said.

Everyone turned to stare at the door to the infirmary, where Lucy was barely standing, using the door frame to help support her.

After all, everything that had happened had taken a serious toll on her body and magic.

"Lucy, you should still be resting!" Kinana cried, running over to try and urge her back into bed.

"I'm fine, Kinana." Lucy reassured her with a small smile. Her usually warm eyes were sad.

She glanced towards the others, all expressing their grief in different ways. "We can't lose hope, you know."

"What do you mean?" Droy asked bitterly, clawing his arm as if trying to wake himself up from this horrid nightmare. "They're dead."

"No, they're not." Lucy snapped, startling the others and grabbing their attention, just as she had intended. "Come on, think about it. Lisanna died, and then came back. Our strongest members were all on that island, an island with a tree that made our magic stronger and made it impossible for Fairy Tail mages to die while on that island."

Of course, she omitted the fact that the tree had been destroyed.

She knew in her _soul_ that they were still alive, and she wasn't about to let her nakama give even an inch to the circumstances that were about to cripple them.

She stood firm against the slightly less depressed expressions. "They're alive. They _have to be_."

And with that, the remaining mages stood up straighter, some of them wiping their tears off of their faces with small smiles.

Romeo stared at Lucy in awe. He had refused to believe that everyone had been killed from the very beginning, and it was heartening to know that he wasn't the only person who had such faith in their family.

In that moment, she replaced Natsu as his role model.

Faith in one's friends and family was definitely something to admire.

* * *

"So…what do we do now?" Reedus asked quietly, once everyone had calmed down considerably.

"Well, Master Makarov left Macao in charge for the exams." Laki offered. "So we have a guild master."

Macao groaned, recalling how much paperwork Makarov had been forced to do because of the more destructive members of the guild.

'Of course, I don't need to worry about them.' He thought to himself bitterly.

"We're still down 20 members." Kinana said, wringing a dish towel nervously. "Including our Ace and the rest of our S-Class mages."

"So we recruit." Lucy said firmly, her eyes daring anybody to argue with her, as if they would.

"Where should we start?" Nab asked, deep voice determined.

Lucy smiled at him. "We start at home."

With that, everyone turned to Macao, who understood what they were thinking.

He sighed. He had wanted this to wait a few years…

"Romeo?" he ventured. "I know you've been taking lessons from the fire mage from Phantom Lord."

"Totomaru-sensei." Romeo said, blushing and wide-eyed.

Blushing because he had been caught, and wide-eyed because he might be young, but he wasn't oblivious.

Before Macao could finish his 'sales pitch', Romeo quickly said. "Yes. Please."

"You sure, kiddo?" Wakaba asked around his cigar.

"Positive." The six-year old said, startling some of the others by the intense determination.

When had the little boy most of them had known since he was born grown up?

With a smile, Kinana took out the guild mark stamp. "Where and what color, kiddo?"

* * *

 **Please review! Do you guys like this version of the first chapter more than the original? For those of you who've read it, at least. :)**

 **Is Lucy wrong for not telling them that one of the things she's using to try and convince them that the others are alive no longer applied at the time she was sent off the island? Maybe. But that tree** _ **did**_ **exist, and considering the others are indeed still alive, what does a little white lie hurt anyone? Especially since she's absolutely certain that they survived?**

 **Yes, Lucy is now the one who Romeo admires most, instead of Natsu. It helps that she's** _ **there**_ **, and his role model isn't just his memory of Natsu from when he was six. I had a reviewer who was annoyed with me for having a Romeo and Wendy scene in the original, because they hated Natsu and Romeo by association, and though I don't particularly care, hopefully this helps. Romeo WON'T be a mini-Natsu. Not that Romeo is exactly like Natsu anyway; I think he's more inclined to use his brain than the Fire Dragon Slayer.**


	2. Team Crime Sorciere

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, and anything related to it or the crossover characters that I will be bringing into the story later.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

One day, Lucy found herself thinking about Jellal.

Had anyone told him that Erza had gone missing, presumed dead by many?

Ah, crap. She really should have considered the families and friends of those who had been on Tenrou, not including her, of course.

She would rather not think about her father, thank you.

Let's see…she knew virtually nothing about Juvia, Bickslow, Freed, or Evergreen.

Levy's parents had died when she was four, and she had been in Fairy Tail ever since.

Lyon already knew about Gray, since he had been with Lamia Scale's team sent as back-up.

Cana's mother was dead, but her father Gildarts was with her, wherever she was.

Mirajane and Elfman hadn't shared

too much of their past with her, besides the Lisanna thing, but she had gathered that they were orphans.

Erza's history was well-known to her. There was Jellal, obviously. She would also need to try and find Sho, Wally, and Millianna.

Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel…well, everyone knew their situation. Their adoptive draconic parents had disappeared on June 7, X777, and not even they knew about their human families.

Carla, Happy, and Pantherlily, on the other hand, all had family and friends in the Exceed colony.

'How do you tell a queen that her daughter is missing?' she wondered sadly. 'How do you break that news to _anyone_?!'

* * *

Visiting Jellal had been a disaster.

She had been horrified and disgusted to see the environment that the Magic Council were keeping him in. The guards tortured them via lightning out of BOREDOM?!

This could not be allowed to continue.

However, she managed to push her fury aside (for the time being) and explain to Jellal what was going on. He had, understandably, been heartbroken, not quite believing that Erza might be alive until she snapped at him (much like she had her guild mates) and asked him if he _really_ thought that she could be taken down so easily.

He had frozen, before huffing out a broken laugh and looking down at his lap, smiling fondly. "No. No, she wouldn't."

Shortly after that, Lucy was forced to leave.

She was going to get him out of this place, legally or not.

Of course she would go through the right channels first, but if that didn't work…

Well, who knew?

* * *

Lucy stared in shock at the two girls in front of her.

Ultear, looking far less confident and sure of herself than Lucy had last seen her, was staring at her lap in shame.

Meredy, who bit her lip at the tension in the room, expression showing that they were expecting to be rejected.

"We don't know what happened to the others…" Ultear said after a moment, before looking up at Lucy. "We weren't on the island anymore. But I heard through the rumor mill that you were trying to get Jellal out of prison."

"Yes…" Lucy said cautiously, aware that it was kind of Ultear's fault that he was there in the first place.

"We want to help." Meredy said quickly.

"We own him that much, at the very least." Ultear agreed quietly.

Lucy stared at the two of them before sighing. "Okay, I could use the help. Though, I would prefer to do this legally."

Meredy pouted. "Take all the fun out of it!"

Her comment managed to startle a laugh out of the two older girls, and she grinned in satisfaction.

* * *

It took three months, and a dozen negotiations, but Jellal was _finally_ free.

With the condition that he live with Lucy for the first two years.

That was easy to agree to. Lucy didn't mind getting to know someone that Erza cared about so dearly.

The problem was that her apartment was too small for the both of them, so she had to move.

It was more stressful than it probably should have been, but they eventually got through the experience, and came out wiser for it.

Apparently, real estate agents were just as bad as Lucy's old landlord.

Luckily, the Council was able to help them, and got them situated in a house on the outskirts of Magnolia that Lucy would be able to pay it off at her own pace.

She had just finished unpacking when she realized that, in the midst of trying to free Jellal, she'd forgotten to contact the rest of Erza's old friends.

This…would not go well.

* * *

She was right.

Oh, she had expected it, of course.

It had been too much to hope that they would just accept the fact that Jellal hadn't been in control of himself.

Kagura, a Mermaid Heel mage who was apparently the younger sister of Simon, who had been killed by Jellal, who had been aiming for _Erza_ , took it the hardest.

It took a few weeks for them all too even begin to listen to her, and she had to remind the Tower of Heaven group what Jellal had been like before the cultists had taken him for punishment. Their unsure expressions had also made Kagura pause.

In the end, Kagura and Millianna (the two were more intense in their grudges than the boys) had been forced to concede, though it would take a long while for Jellal to earn their forgiveness.

That night, Lucy cried herself to sleep, despairing for the young boy who had his childhood, his memory, and the girl who he was so obviously in love with taken from him. She was also greatly annoyed by what Kagura and Millianna had said.

They already understood the circumstances, even if they didn't like it.

So, they must know that Jellal shouldn't need to EARN their forgiveness.

The entire situation was heartbreaking.

In the end, Kagura ended up getting rid of the sword that she had sworn she wouldn't unsheathe except to kill Jellal. She didn't make a vow if she couldn't keep it.

Ah, well. Her new sword was just as good.

* * *

Eventually Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear joined Fairy Tail, creating a team called Crime Sorciere.

For the most part, they took missions that involved stopping the dark guilds. They were scarily efficient, and soon the Magic Council began to relax slightly when dealing with Jellal, though that distrust would never fully go away.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Remember, if you guys have any suggestions about what I should put in (from Fairy Tail to crossover characters to situations you want to see them in) feel free to suggest them. No promises, but I will at least consider it.**

 **The original chapter two included a watered-down version of this** _ **and**_ **a bit about Lucy training to become stronger, but I figured I'd give that its own chapter.**


	3. Fundraising

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to it or the crossover characters I'm bringing into the story later on.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Macao groaned helplessly as he went through the backdated paperwork, the stuff that Makarov really should have completed and turned in to the Magic Council a long time ago.

"What's wrong, Master?" Kinana chirped curiously.

The others in the guild hall looked at the older fire mage in concern.

"The old man wasn't kidding when he said we owed the kingdom a helluva lot of jewels." He said with a sigh, glancing back at the papers. "We don't even _have_ money in our savings account because whatever was in it apparently always went directly towards paying off our fines. If we don't do something real quick, we're going to go bankrupt."

There was a long moment of silence at the troubling (i.e. _heartbreaking_ ) declaration.

"So, we need to fundraise?" Lucy checked.

"Seems like it." Macao nodded. "Anyone have any ideas?"

A few people's eyes gleamed at the prospect of a challenge.

* * *

Yukino's eyes widened in wonder at the sight in front of her.

The streets of Magnolia were more crowded than she had ever seen them, with stalls and stages placed strategically all over the city.

Food, beer, homemade goods, this place had it all.

There was a stall with face painting and caricatures run by a large shy-looking man with a funny hat, a shooting game run by two teenagers in Western getup, a man at the local park using the sand to create intricate structures for the children to play in (castles, for example), a blonde man with a microphone enthusiastically conducting an auction, dozens of business stalls that were taking the opportunity to show their goods or advertise, and countless other activities going on everywhere.

It was amazing.

Yukino didn't know what to try first!

She ended up going to one of the food stalls, feeling slightly hungry, and was handed a candied apple from a little dark-haired boy who was working there.

'Oh, if only Sorano could be here to enjoy this.' Yukino thought sadly, though she shook her head in an attempt to get rid of those thoughts.

Suddenly, loud cheers caught her attention.

Curious, she got up from the bench that she had been resting on, following the noise to see that a large crowd was surrounding one of the bigger stages.

What she saw took her breath away.

Mages were performing using their magic!

She recognized many of the performers from Sorcerer's Magazine, and she recognized many of the guild marks that they wore.

Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus…

And of course, the famous (or would that be infamous?) _FAIRY TAIL!_

They were the ones sponsoring this carnival in the first place.

She watched as a young blonde-haired boy created amazing snowmen (and women) with his snow magic, using people in the audience as his inspiration.

Yukino tilted her head curiously as she saw another blonde come up onto the stage, this time female. She was very pretty, and a few years older than Yukino was.

"Hello, everybody!" the girl said warmly with a smile that immediately cheered Yukino up, erasing the depressing thoughts of her sister from earlier. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia, with Fairy Tail. I use Celestial Spirit magic."

Yukino's eyes widened in excitement.

Her mother had been a Celestial Spirit mage, and she had inherited her keys: Pisces, Libra, and Ophiuchus. She hadn't been able to summon them yet, but one day (hopefully soon!) she would have enough magic power.

"Celestial Spirit magic is one of the most diverse types of magic in the world." The blonde explained, and she pulled out a ring of keys.

Yukino gaped at the sight. How on earth did she have so many?! And she was so _young_ , too!

Suddenly, the girl started giving off a brilliant light, and ten bright orbs swirled around her and the stage, leaving behind star trails as they moved. A few of them sped off into the crowd to interact with the audience, playfully tugging on a little girl's hair, or gently nudging someone.

As Lucy kept a careful eye on them, she began calling out her other spirits with silver keys.

Yukino grinned widely as she saw the spirits. They all looked so strange to other people, she was sure, but to her they were just amazing.

Horologium the Clock. Crux the Southern Cross. Nicola the Little Dog (why did it look like a snowman?). Lyra the Lyre.

So many spirits!

"There are 12 Zodiac keys in the world, and the other constellations have about 5 keys in the world at any given time." The blonde continued, and the gold orbs (the Zodiacs, Yukino realized in wonder) started flying behind her in a circle, glowing even brighter. "There are 88 different constellations, and each one has one or more spirit representing it. They are each unique individuals, with their own strengths and weaknesses, though some would deny it."

One of the orbs smacked Lucy in the head, causing the crowd to laugh as she pouted.

Most of the crowd couldn't feel it, but Yukino sensed emotions pouring off of the spirits and spirit orbs in waves, all directed towards Lucy.

Warmth, protectiveness, reluctant fondness, concern, and a handful of other emotions.

But above all…

 _Love._

And Yukino was struck by a realization.

She was so drawn to this girl because, so far, she seemed to be everything that Yukino wanted to be, everything that she _wished_ her mother had been. The person she just _knew_ her sister would have become if she had survived the raid that killed their parents so long ago.

"They're some of the best friends that a person could ever have." Lucy said fondly as the lights faded and the spirits disappeared.

Yukino had tears in her eyes, and she palmed her own keys.

She would become a better master to her spirits than her mother had been. She wouldn't treat them as tools or shields like her mother and so many other Celestial Spirit mages.

She looked at the beautiful blonde girl, eyes determined. 'I _will_ treat my spirits as well as you do, Lucy-sama. That's a promise!'

And as Lucy could attest, a Celestial Spirit mage NEVER broke their promises.

* * *

*Later that night*

Lucy sighed in exhaustion, but also in relief.

They weren't out of the woods with their debt yet, but they were getting there.

They had made quite a bit of a profit today, with the added benefit of advertising themselves to anyone interested in joining a magic guild.

They had charged any business interested in participating to have a part in the event, with a lesser fee to local businesses. There was an auction, autograph signings for whoever wanted them (she had found it so incredibly weird that she apparently had legitimate fans, including an adorable, shy little girl with white hair who looked a bit like Lisanna might have when she was younger), and a whole bunch of other fun things to do.

The magic demonstrations had been fun, too, involving all of the guilds that had helped look for the Tenrou group, as well as some others who wanted to do their thing. There were even a few independent mages participating.

And, of course, they made money from their own stalls and activities that they had set up.

Romeo had been extremely proud to work alongside his dad, proudly showing the red guild mark on his shoulder.

Lucy's heart clenched at the reminder of Natsu.

Oh, she missed them all so much…

"Summoning so many spirits took a lot out of you." Ultear observed when she found Lucy more or less collapsed on the bar stool in the guild hall.

Lucy startled, before looking at her sheepishly. "It takes a lot of magic to summon the Zodiacs, especially when they're in this world for so long. And that was only the third time I'd done a partial summoning. I'll get better with practice."

The Arc of Time mage frowned thoughtfully.

"I think I have something that can help with that." She offered, taking a seat herself. "Have you ever heard of the Second Origin?"

Lucy blinked in confusion.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Obviously, this part wasn't in the original. kurahieiritr JIO suggested that I add in Macao's realization that they're not doing well financially, which I liked the idea of, and this is what came out.**

 **Yes, partial summoning. Basically a small, glowing gold sphere that can fly and move on its own. Can't do everything that a full summoning can, but it has its own uses. For example, it doesn't take nearly as much magic, but it offers some protection.**

 **Yukino is about ten years old here, give or take. She's not in Sabertooth yet. If I remember correctly, she was fairly new to the guild when she was chosen to participate in the Grand Magic Games. I found it an odd coincidence that both Yukino and (SPOILER ALERT!) Angel/Sorano became Celestial Spirit mages even though they haven't even seen each other since they were little, so I made it a family thing like with Lucy and Layla.**


	4. New Members part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, How to Train Your Dragons, or Rise of the Guardians.**

 **Warning: mentions of past family issues (neglect, at least)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"We can't wait, we need to recruit." Macao mused, once again going over the paperwork.

"Hold an Open House, then." Wakaba suggested.

* * *

"Hi!" a blonde girl with large brown eyes said, holding the door open for them. "Welcome to the Fairy Tail Open House! My name's Lucy."

' _Her smile is nearly brighter than the sun._ ' Hiccup observed, surprised. _'No…that's not right. Brighter than the moon. I think that's more appropriate.'_

"Jackson Overland." Jack introduced himself with a smile, shaking her hand. "This is my friend—who seems to be stuck in his own world."

Hiccup snapped out of it, shaking his head, before saying in embarrassment. "Um, sorry."

"Lost in thought?" Lucy asked knowingly. "It happens to the best of us. I'm a writer, so ideas are constantly going through my mind and distracting me."

"I'm an inventor." Hiccup offered.

"Woah, seriously?" Lucy asked, eyes wide. "That's actually really cool."

She noticed his leg. More specifically, his peg leg.

He saw her questioning gaze, and nodded awkwardly.

"You crafted this yourself?" Lucy asked, slightly in awe as she looked at Hiccup's prosthetic, though she was careful not to stare at it too long. How rude would that be?

"Yeah. I was an apprentice blacksmith." Hiccup said with a slight smile, remembering his memories of Gobber, the only one who Hiccup thought might have listened to him, if Stoick had given him the chance to explain. "Is it…going to stick out here?" he asked nervously.

"I sincerely doubt it. One of our guild members who disappeared, Gildarts, is missing some organs due to being attacked by a dragon." Lucy told him. "He was our Ace, the strongest in our guild. Erza, who is also missing, has a glass eye after a childhood…accident. All of us have scars, whether physical or emotional. If anything, we see them as nothing more than proof that we survived what we encountered and a motivation to get stronger." She trailed off. "Anyway, trust me, no one here is going to judge you, much less for something like that."

Jack smiled at the pair, glad that this girl seemed to be bringing Hiccup out of his shell a bit. He was pretty open with Jack and Toothless, but when it came to anyone else, he was practically mute.

It was encouraging to see that he could be brought out of that state.

He had to admit that he was slightly more reassured, too. He might not have any physical scars, but he sure did have emotional ones.

He had a feeling that this place would be good for them, if they were allowed to join, at least.

"And I've been ignoring you." Lucy realized, turning to Jack. "Sorry, it's been a long day. It's nice to meet the two of you. Were you interested in joining?"

"If we can." Jack admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Of course you can." Lucy said in bemusement. "That's what the open house is for: new members!"

Jack and Hiccup smiled at her.

"So, quick rundown." Lucy said. "Fairy Tail has mages of all different sorts, it doesn't matter what kind of magic you can do. We're expected not to cause too much trouble for the Magic Council, which we've had problems with in the past. Job requests are on the board over there—" here she pointed. "New members aren't supposed to go on solo jobs for the first week, but since you two seem close, I doubt you'll mind too much having to partner up. Top floor is for S-Class mages only. At the current time we don't have any, because they're among our missing members. S-Class promotion exams are at the end of May, and the participants are chosen based on who has shown themselves to be adept mages capable of handling the S-Class jobs. Only one mage per trial can be chosen, and sometimes no one passes."

She gasped for breath.

"Okay, I give up. We'll go over more of this later on." She said, taking a sip of water. "Anyway, I didn't catch your name."

She glanced at Hiccup.

He froze. Stoick might be looking for him, and if he was, it would be better that he use an alias.

"Ryder." He decided.

He could have sworn that there was a knowing look in Lucy's eyes, but she didn't comment. "Okay, where do you two want your guild marks, and in what color?"

For Jack, next to his belly button to the left, so that he could lift up his hoodie when he needed to show it to someone but could easily hide it if need be.

Ryder had a harder time deciding, but eventually went with a light green, the color of Toothless' eyes, on his left shoulder, also easy to hide if he needed to.

"There you go!" Lucy said with another bright smile. "You two are officially Fairy Tail mages!"

"You didn't ask what kind of magic we use." Jack realized.

Lucy smiled. "One of my closest friends is an Ice Make mage. I can tell that your magic has something to do with the cold."

Jack nodded with a smirk, slightly impressed.

"As for Ryder…" Lucy trailed off thoughtfully. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"I'm an empath." Ryder muttered, embarrassed.

"All the more power to you. That would probably give me a headache…" Lucy said. "I have a hard enough time dealing with my own emotions, let alone anyone else's."

Ryder smiled sadly, not disagreeing.

It had always been horrible knowing for a fact that your father didn't care for you in the slightest. Apathy was the only thing he had ever gotten from Stoick, besides more negative things like disappointment and anger.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to it." Lucy said, realizing that Ryder had something on his mind. "Feel free to explore, just keep in mind what I said about the top floor."

She began to walk away, before turning her head back.

"Oh, and your black reptilian companion is more than welcome to join you." She said with a slight smirk, before heading to greet some more people.

Jack smiled at her gratefully, waving goodbye.

Ryder stared at the beautiful blonde in shock and bemusement.

For one thing, he wasn't used to being treated so kindly, much less with _genuine_ kindness!

Also, how had Lucy known that Toothless was nearby?

"Don't think too much on it." Jack advised, patting his shoulder. "Just be glad you don't have to hide him. Now come on, she said we could explore!"

His excited blue eyes caused Ryder to smile as well, so he followed his friend to check out the place where they would hopefully be spending a fair bit of time and making a living.

…Maybe they could make a home for themselves here.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Don't worry, after the time skip Hiccup, or 'Ryder', will have become the confident young man we see in How to Train Your Dragon 2. I put his guild mark where it is because in the movie, his armor has shoulder-plates that have the symbol of his tribe painted on, and I figured that I would do something similar here. :)**

 **And Hiccup DOESN'T have feelings for Lucy. He was just noticing what every other Fairy Tail mage has noticed by now. Even if I wasn't planning to get him with Jack, Lucy looks too much like Astrid, Hiccup's previous crush who participated in bullying him and the events that caused him to leave his village for him to be comfortable with that idea.**

 **Lucy didn't freak out about Toothless looking like a dragon because she's smart. By Ryder's accent, she was able to guess where he was from, and knows that there are dragon-** _ **like**_ **creatures there, but not the same type of dragon Igneel and the others were. For one thing, they aren't capable of human speech.**

 **Also, I never said in the original what Hiccup's magic was, but I did mention that I was considering some type of magic involving technology. Changed my mind. He'll be relying more on Toothless, his brains, and the combat skills he'll develop on more than his magic.**


	5. New Members part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Chaos;Head, or anything else related to them or the crossover characters that I'll bring in later.**

 **Warning: spoilers for up until the S-Class Promotional Exams (though considering this story starts during said exams I think a warning is kind of a moot point)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Romeo grunted in frustration as he barely managed to dodge the monster's attack, getting nicked on the arm by its sharp teeth.

'I knew it was a bad idea to take a solo mission without dad's permission!' he thought with a groan. 'And he probably doesn't even know I'm gone yet, since everyone else is busy with the Open House!'

Granted, he had only done it because those damn bullies had goaded him into it.

He really needed to stop caring about what those jerks thought.

It would save him (and his father) a lot of trouble.

To be fair, he had completed the job with minimal difficulties.

It was when he was on his way _back_ to Fairy Tail that he was attacked.

His eyes widened as he felt his body become paralyzed.

Aw, man! The monster must've been venomous or something.

As he struggled to move and avoid the monster's next attack, he heard a strange sound…

 _*Whoosh!*_

The monster froze, and a few seconds later it crumpled into dust.

Behind where the beast had been, Romeo saw a young girl, about ten years old, holding a large sword that looked stranger than any weapon he had seen Erza use.

' _Are you okay?'_ she asked, looking at him in concern, moving the long strands of curly blonde hair that had gotten in her eyes.

Her lips didn't even twitch.

"Y-yes. Thank you." Romeo managed.

She answered his next question before he could even open his mouth again. _'I'm a telepath.'_

Romeo nodded in understanding. Telepathy wasn't a foreign concept to him, considering he had grown up around Warren. "Thanks for the help, really. Becoming monster chow isn't one of my life goals."

The girl's large brown eyes sparkled, and he heard a tinkling laugh in his mind. _'You're funny.'_

Romeo grinned at her, pleased. "Thanks! Again. I think this is going to become a habit, at this point."

The girl smiled sweetly in return.

"Oh! I didn't catch your name." he realized. "I'm Romeo, Romeo Conbolt. I'm a Fairy Tail mage."

' _It's nice to meet you, Romeo-kun!'_ the girl projected with a grin. _'I'm Kozue Orihara, though my friends call me Kozupii.'_

"Nice to meet you, too. Are you in a guild?" Romeo asked curiously, tilting his head.

Kozue shook her head. _'No. I was considering Mermaid Heel, but I realized that they weren't for me.'_

"You could join Fairy Tail!" Romeo suggested, eyes bright.

They were in need of new members, and Kozue seemed like a really nice person.

Kozue blushed slightly at the compliment he had inadvertently given her.

Not that she was purposefully invading the privacy of his mind, it was just that she couldn't quite control it yet.

' _What's Fairy Tail like?'_ she asked in lieu of commenting.

Romeo frowned thoughtfully.

How did you answer a question like that?

His eyes brightened as he had an idea. "Can I show you?"

Kozue's eyebrows raised in surprise. It was rare that someone _offered_ to show her something like that.

' _Sure!'_ she agreed with a smile.

In response, she was bombarded with a plethora of memories.

Romeo thought about how Natsu and Lisanna found Happy. He remembered Lisanna's death, how devastated everyone was and how Mirajane and Elfman changed. Makarov's speech about magic and how they shouldn't let the Magic Council break their spirit, that day Lucy joined the guild. How Lucy and Natsu saved his dad from the Vulcans, a situation Macao wouldn't have been in in the first place if not for Romeo.

The war with Phantom Lord, how the entire guild (with the exception of Laxus and his team) made sure that Lucy was safe and how far they were willing to go to _keep_ her safe. How even Mystogan, the most reclusive member of the guild, attacked all of Phantom Lord's other branches in retaliation. How they accepted Juvia and Gajeel with open arms despite their part in the war.

How everyone was able to save the people of Magnolia by sacrificing themselves in order to set off the lightning lacrimas, causing severe injuries. Their sadness at Laxus' excommunication from the guild.

The confusion at suddenly having Lisanna alive and well, being told that they had been in another world and had nearly been killed, their joy at their nakama returning and their new guild member, Pantherlily.

Their excitement and pride when the participants for the S-Class promotion exams were chosen, and their heartbreak and despair when they found the island to have disappeared. Lucy's speech, giving them all hope that their friends were still alive, and determination to keep their guild afloat.

Romeo's wish to help his guild in any way that he could, and his tentative hope that _she_ could be a part of the family too.

Kozue gasped in shock as the memories stopped.

She realized that at some point she had collapsed, and was kneeling on the ground in front of Romeo.

After a long moment where she composed herself, Kozue looked up and met Romeo's eyes.

' _A home…a family…'_ she thought, unconsciously projecting her thoughts so that he could hear, tearing up slightly. _'That sounds like a dream come true. I'd love to join, if you'll have me.'_

Romeo grinned, eyes shining brightly, before holding out a hand. "Let's go home, Kozupii."

Kozue let a few tears fall, before smiling wider than she had in a while and taking his hand, allowing him to help her up.

* * *

By the end of the day, Kozupii was the proud bearer of a light blue Fairy Tail guild mark located on her right wrist, the one she used to wield her sword.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Kozue's mutism is psychosomatic, for those of you who are wondering or forgot from my other story. She was bullied as a child and was scared into not being able to use her voice. A bit like Kisa from Fruits Basket, I guess. Anyway, even in the anime Kozue is actually from, Chaos;Head, she has telepathic abilities. She also has another ability, but that'll probably come in later on.**


	6. New Members part 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Teen Titans (DC comics), or anything related to any of the crossover characters that I am working on bringing into the story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy tapped her chin thoughtfully.

Fairy Tail had held an Open House the day before, and they now had three new members (though she credited Romeo for Kozue, and to say Macao had been unhappy that Romeo had gone behind his back and taken a solo job would be a massive understatement.)

Kozue, Jack, and Ryder from the day before, as well as Jellal, Ultear, Meredy, and Romeo. Seven more than they had started out with, but…

Still not enough. They were in dire need of new members.

* * *

Bisca bit her lip as Laki asked how her night had been.

"It was great." She said with a blush. "I…um. I kind of went out on a date."

"With who?!" Laki demanded, eyes wide. She crossed her fingers behind her back, praying that it was who she hoped.

"As if you haven't guessed." Bisca whined, blushing even darker.

"I need you to say it!" Laki pleaded.

Neither girl noticed that the attention of everyone in the room was on them. Including the boy in question, who had been grabbing drinks for them.

"…Alzack."

The room erupted into loud cheering and laughter, people congratulating the pair as the two Westerners blushed fiercely.

Looking at each other, they sighed in resignation, deciding not to try to stop them.

Fairy Tail needed all the cheer it could get, these days.

* * *

Lahar sighed quietly as he watched the video lacrima aimed at one of the prisoner's cells.

Usually he would ignore this kind of thing, but this particular criminal was far too prideful to fake the intense worry and desperation he was exhibiting.

He stood up, planning to speak with the Council.

Something had to be done about this.

* * *

Five months later, Fairy Tail found itself with a visit from Lahar, captain of the Rune Knights.

"Sir?" Lucy asked warily, having been the one who had interacted with him most.

Ultear turned her head away from him. She didn't know if there was a warrant out for her arrest.

Jellal leaned back in his seat slightly, as if to get further away from the man with the power to take him back to prison. He hadn't done anything wrong!

"I'm not here for you, Fernandes." The dark-haired man said, reading the apprehensive expression on the former Wizard Saint and Council member's face. "Though I suppose what I came here for is related to your case."

"How so?" Macao asked suspiciously.

"I have another ex-prisoner waiting outside." Lahar explained. "He was freaking out due to worry because his animal companion, a snake named Cubellios, is missing."

Lucy gasped sharply, eyes widening as she recognized the name.

Lahar continued as if he hadn't heard her. "The late (here he ignored the bitter glares) Makarov Dreyar filed a report with the council a while ago about a young girl who had been cursed and transformed into a snake. We believe that this girl and Cubellios are one and the same, and…this girl is in Fairy Tail."

All was silent, until a glass shattered.

Everyone turned towards the bar, where a small girl with short purple hair had just dropped a glass that she had been cleaning. Her eyes were wide in absolute shock.

"What?" she asked breathlessly. "B-but I don't remember my time as a snake…"

With that, the door opened, and Cobra walked in.

He had been waiting to hear her voice.

"Cubellios." He whispered, looking relieved and hopeful.

"Kinana is her human name." Lucy told him, seeing that the girl in question was still too much in shock to answer.

"It doesn't matter." Cobra said, acknowledging the familiar blonde but otherwise ignoring her. "She's still alive."

Lahar sighed as the pair stared at each other, though it was obvious that the girl still didn't quite know what to make of the whole thing. He turned to Macao Conbolt, who he understood was the current guild master.

"The Council has agreed to release him into Fairy Tail's custody…"

Five hours of intense discussion later (part of which was conducted in private in the master's office), Fairy Tail gained another member.

* * *

Raven glanced up as she heard a commotion outside the coffee shop she was resting in.

She frowned as she saw a man in a black mask (cliché as it was) attack another.

'Don't get involved, Raven.' She told herself, before looking back down at her newspaper.

Her resolve lasted all of eight seconds before she was flying out of the shop.

"Leave him alone." She told the attacked in a monotone, causing the man to pause mid-strike.

"Or what?" he leered, looking her up and down. "You'll punish me?"

Raven's eyes flashed in anger and disgust at the blatant disrespect. She raised a hand, summoning a black orb using her powers.

The orb let loose a tendril, and suddenly the man was in the air, held captive in a black sphere. His eyes widened and he tried to get out, but to no avail.

"Madam?" a voice came from behind her.

She turned to see one of the Rune Knights behind her, and she blinked. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, would you mind releasing him so that we can take him into custody?" the man asked, and with a sigh Raven complied. "Thank you for your help. Have a nice day."

With that, the man was placed in cuffs and taken away.

Raven shook her head in annoyance.

Thanks for the help? She didn't _help_ him do anything, she did his job for him!

A moment later she sighed, annoyance ebbing away.

Apparently no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get away from her days with the Teen Titans, chasing criminals and saving the world.

After years of being a hero, saving lives left and right, she could no longer stand by when someone was in need of help.

Later that night, she recalled the newspaper that she had been reading before the attack.

There was an article about a magic guild called Fairy Tail, and from the rumors that she'd heard, it was the perfect place for unusual and eccentric people. They also had a reputation of going against the Council (which Raven was wary of) and doing what was right even if they got in trouble for it.

Maybe it would be worth checking out…

* * *

Two weeks later, after extensively researching the guild, Raven became a Fairy Tail mage. Her guild mark was dark purple and on her right thigh (AN: opposite to where Mirajane, Lisanna, and Juvia have theirs.)

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **We'll say that Raven is sixteen years old here, so she'll be about 23 after the time-skip.**

 **For those of you familiar with her, this is fairly soon after the whole Trigon thing. During the battle she was sent into a portal and, so far, hasn't been able to go back to her own world. Probably a good thing, considering how many times the Earth is destroyed in the DC comics. So, yeah, it's not likely that the other Teen Titans will be coming into the story.**


	7. Lucy's Training part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or anything related to the crossover characters that I've been bringing into the story.**

 **Note: Yes, I will still be introducing the other new guild members that were in the original story. No one ever said they all had to join immediately, and it's easier for them to be the ages I want them to and be at the point in their lives that I want them to be if they don't.**

 **Warning: hint of past abuse of a spirit**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy sipped at her strawberry milkshake thoughtfully as she glanced around the guild hall.

Jellal, Ultear, Meredy, Ryder, Jack, Kozupii, Cobra, and Raven…

All incredibly strong in their own right.

How could she ever hope to match them?

* * *

Lucy grunted in pain as Capricorn landed yet another hit.

"Miss Lucy, if you need a break—" the spirit began.

"No." Lucy interrupted, eyes glinting with determination as she ignored her injuries. "Keep going."

Capricorn sighed, feeling an odd mixture of worry and pride.

Teaching her how to meditate and expand her magic as he was doing was one thing (and she was doing exceptionally well, Miss Layla would be so proud of her), but teaching her how to avoid attacks?

It pained him to cause her injury, but he knew that he was the best option, which was why he offered to help train her when she expressed her desire to become stronger.

* * *

Loke looked at Lucy sympathetically as his princess poked at a bruise she'd gotten from training with the goat.

"We can do this tomorrow." The Lion suggested, though he knew that she would refuse.

He also didn't suggest (though he was thinking it) that maybe Capricorn should let up a little. His goal wasn't even for him to hurt Lucy, really, but for her to be able to dodge or block those attacks.

Unfortunately, landing a few hits was a good way to ensure that she wouldn't let her guard down.

Lucy rolled her eyes, going to her battle stance in answer.

This was her physical combat training, no magic allowed. She was only allowed to use her body and her normal whip, and that was it.

Maybe once the Tenrou group came back she would be able to join in on guild brawls without fear of getting hurt.

She smiled a little at the thought, before forcing her body to move even faster as she launched a kick at her trainer.

* * *

Aquarius grumbled.

"Again!" Lucy called up to her, and the Water Bearer swung her urn, launching another major attack at the blonde.

"Tch." Aquarius huffed. "Stupid girl. It's no fun if you _want_ me to try to drown you!"

She watched as the girl regained her bearings.

"Again!"

The mermaid groaned.

* * *

"Miss Luuuucy!" Taurus mooed. "Be careful! I don't want to harm your beauuuutiful body!"

Lucy sighed in fond exasperation as she dodged a large boulder that Taurus threw, which hit the place that she had just been standing.

She would've responded, but she was also trying to hide so that he wouldn't know _where_ to throw, so answering wouldn't be the best idea.

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she prepared to channel her magic.

She could do this without Hibiki or Gemini's help, right?

 _Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens..._  
 _All the stars, far and wide..._  
 _Show me thy appearance..._  
 _With such shine._  
 _Oh Tetrabiblos..._  
 _I am the ruler of the stars..._  
 _Aspect become complete..._  
 _Open thy malevolent gate._  
 _Oh 88 Stars of the heaven..._  
 _Shine!_  
 _ **Urano Metria!**_

She fell to the ground, fatigued, as she completed her most powerful Celestial spell. She watched the brilliant show in front of her, 88 miniature stars all hitting her target, a rather dense boulder. Once the spell had completed, there was nothing left of it but a few dust particles.

Lucy beamed happily at her success, pumping a fist into the air with a cheer.

Her spirits looked at her fondly from the Celestial Spirit World.

Lucy's problem had never been power; it had been confidence. It would appear that the more she trained, the more confidence she had.

Capricorn and Aquarius sighed. They might find the training worrying and irritating respectively, but there was no denying that their efforts were paying off.

* * *

Lucy grinned excitedly as she removed her brand new silver key from her pouch, a gift from Kozupii and Romeo after they completed a mission which included a Celestial Spirit key as part of the reward.

She would definitely need to find a way to properly thank them.

The blonde girl took a deep breath, before intoning:

 _Open: Gate of the Fox!_

 _Vulpecula!_

This would be the second time that she had called upon Vulpecula, though the spirit hadn't been able to stay after making their contract.

A small _*poof*_ later and a small, red fox appeared, which moments later transformed into a little girl.

She looked to be about Romeo's age, though considering she was an immortal spirit it was safe to say that she was much older. She had beautiful orange hair, with cute little fox ears showing on top of her head. Her eyes were black and shaped like a fox's, giving her a very sly appearance. She wore shorts, a cute little t-shirt with a cartoon fox on it, and sneakers. Then, of course, there was the slightly bushy tail.

"Lucy-sama!" Vulpecula greeted with a smile, lunging to give her master a hug, which was immediately returned.

"Hi Vulpecula!" Lucy greeted warmly in return, scratching behind the girl's ears.

She had checked beforehand if that was okay.

Vulpecula didn't mind, and quite enjoyed it, a claim supported by the contented purr she released.

The little spirit giggled, loving the attention.

She had a similar history to Aries when it came to past contracts, so she was beyond thrilled to have finally found such a kind and thoughtful master.

Never before had anyone _asked her_ if she minded something, much less a human mage!

Vulpecula thought herself to be very lucky indeed.

Her opinion only solidified as Lucy took her to an ice cream place.

Apparently, the blonde girl was trying to bond with her spirits more in less stressful situations instead of during battle. Besides Leo and Virgo, she hadn't really had the opportunity to do so.

She spent a lot of time with Plue, and she'd recently had a lot of discussions with Horologium and Crux. They told the best stories, and they knew a lot about the history of Fiore, which was really interesting to hear about.

She had taken Gemi and Mini to see a magician show (not real magic, but the slight-of-hand and illusion stuff), and the Twins got a kick out of trying to work out how the tricks were done without resorting to their abilities to do so.

Cancer enjoyed reading poetry with her and to her, and some of those works had aided Lucy in her own writing, which pleased the Sea Goat to no end.

Sagittarius had taken her to an archery range and taught her how to shoot. This doubled as a form of training, but the Archer assured her that he loved sharing his craft with people, and that it was rare to find someone who was interested in it.

She had gone to a concert with Lyra, who was fascinated by the music so different than her own. She had spent some time with Virgo and Aries, with Aries teaching her how to manipulate wool best and Virgo using some of what they produced to make Lucy clothing, explaining the process to Lucy in case she ever needed to know how. She also summoned Cancer to hang out with them, and the delighted Crab had a blast coming up with new hairstyles to go with the outfits the Maiden was creating.

She had tried with Aquarius, but the Water Bearer had claimed that their training sessions, where she was _allowed_ to hit Lucy with everything she had, was more than enough for her.

Scorpio taught her to play card games, especially poker, helping her with her poker face and teaching her all of the tricks he knew. He also talked to her about Aquarius, which Lucy was wary of, but nonetheless she gave him advice when he needed it. So far Aquarius hadn't killed her, so she must not have screwed up with her suggestions too badly.

Of course, this also had the added benefit of helping Lucy become stronger, especially when she had three Zodiac spirits out at once, but the spirits didn't mind.

The little kitsune certainly didn't. Good company and delicious sweets?

Who in their right mind would say no to that?

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Why doesn't Vulpecula act more like Aries if they have similar pasts? Because while she may be just as old as the other Celestial Spirits, Vulpecula still took the form of a child and is that age mentally and emotionally. I've heard that children tend to trust easier and bounce back easier. Obviously that's not always the case, but you get what I mean.**

 **Is it weird for Lucy to suddenly be able to cast Urano Metria? Hell to the nope. Not only did Ultear unlock her Second Origin, but Lucy** _ **is**_ **powerful (like her spirits think, it's mostly her lack of confidence in her abilities that holds her back), and Yukino could do it without having to use** _ **her**_ **Second Origin, even though she's the same age as Lucy.**


	8. Lucy's Training part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, crossover characters, etc.**

 **Note: To those of you who may be wondering, Raven is from the Teen Titans** _ **cartoon**_ **, as opposed to the Teen Titans comic series. Thanks for asking, Altairis vogue! I'd forgotten that they have the same name so I didn't think to clarify.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy stared at her roommate in shock.

Living with Jellal was strange. He always seemed to be walking on eggshells around her, despite Lucy's assurances that he hadn't done anything wrong and he'd been forgiven for any wrongdoing he had done while possessed.

He tried to do all of the chores, and sometimes paid Lucy's share of the bills before she could do so, though when that happened she got him back by doing the same thing.

When she asked him about it, frustrated, he told her that he could never repay her for getting him out of prison, where the guards had reveled in tormenting him.

At that, Lucy had deflated, before telling him that there was nothing to repay. Jellal didn't owe her anything, it was her own morals that insisted on getting him out of that situation.

Jellal looked awkward as he waited for a response to his offer.

"Um…Lucy?" he tried.

"Y-you want to teach me more magic?" Lucy asked, snapping out of it and turning thoughtful.

She did want to get stronger, after all.

Jellal nodded an affirmative.

Lucy was silent for a moment. "If you do, then any debt that you think you owe me is fully repaid."

Jellal grimaced slightly, before nodding again.

"What did you have in mind?" Lucy asked with a smile, glad that he had agreed to her terms.

"Well, you mentioned that Mirajane didn't have much luck teaching you Transformation Magic because you use Holder magic…" Jellal began. "So I thought that I could start with teaching you some Heavenly Body magic. It's similar enough in nature to Celestial Spirit magic that it should come fairly easy to you despite it being a Caster magic."

He noticed Lucy's eyes brightening in interest.

"That's not all I could teach you, though." He said, gaining confidence as she seemed to like his idea. "I could teach you Thought Projections, Telepathy, Telekinesis. Bind Snake, which restrains people. Maybe some Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water magic. If I teach you those four you could use Abyss Break…Darkness magic I wouldn't be able to teach you, though. I can only use it because of my former possessed state."

Lucy's eyes were wide.

She'd known that Jellal was extremely powerful, but that was a _lot_ of magic that he was capable of using.

"I like the idea of Thought Projections most…" Lucy said quietly. "After Heavenly Body, can we start with that and then decide from there?"

Jellal grinned at her for the first time.

"You want to be able to trick people with Gemini and clones, don't you?" he asked in amusement.

Lucy tilted her head innocently, swirling her hair around her finger. "Now Jellal, why would you say that?"

Despite the act, her eyes were mischievous.

The blunette threw his head back and laughed.

* * *

Jellal's theory that Heavenly Body magic was a good choice for Lucy was right, but it still took about six months for her magic to adjust enough that it didn't put a strain on her body and magic when she used it.

He only taught her a few spells, like Meteor and Grand Chariot, but she was more than happy with that.

She didn't want to neglect her spirits, after all.

* * *

After another two months, Lucy could hold two thought projection clones at a time, and when she focused enough she could even let them use her magic, something that she had been determined to do since she had discovered that 'Segrain', Jellal's main clone from way back when, had been able to use magic.

* * *

She was hesitant to learn any Elemental Magic, remembering Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, Laxus, Juvia, and Gray, so she decided to pass on that one.

Jellal seemed to understand her decision, and instead suggested that they spar, with him using only those types of magic, so that she could still get used to defending herself against them, to which she happily agreed.

* * *

During her training with Jellal, Lucy still had to go on missions so that they would have food at the house.

On one such mission, she came across a man who trapped her using Freed's magic: Jutsu Shiki.

Needless to say, the frustration and helplessness she felt in that battle had made her determined that she wouldn't be caught like that again.

And so she taught herself how to rewrite and dispel various rune traps. She wasn't anywhere close to Levy or especially Freed's level, but she could free herself in a pinch. If she had enough time, she could even write her own trap, though it could be dispelled by anyone with even a bit of knowledge of ciphers and codes.

* * *

Lucy smiled fondly as she glanced at Jellal out of the corner of her eye.

Ever since he had begun to pay off his (nonexistent!) debt, he had relaxed quite a bit, which she rather appreciated.

Now that she was getting to know the person beneath the self-loathing and guilty-conscious, she found that she really liked him as a person.

He was serious, but had a sense of humor. He had also shown himself to be slightly overprotective of her, as he had shown when some drunk jerk began flirting with her as she was walking home. She hadn't been anywhere near the man, but Jellal had sent a glare so chilling that the man paled dramatically and ran (more like stumbled while tripping a lot) away.

She was beginning to look at him the same way she looked at Gray.

As an older brother.

(Hopefully she would one day have Erza as a sister-in-law.)

* * *

Macao glanced at Lucy thoughtfully as he (yet again, did it ever end?) went through recent paperwork.

The Celestial Spirit mage had been going on a lot of solo missions, which made sense as the rest of her team was on Tenrou. At first she had taken easy ones, but that quickly changed as she became determined to become stronger.

Her clients had all given her glowing praises, appreciating her efficiency and how quickly she managed to get the job done. Sometimes she went further than the job required, which pleased the clients, even more so when she didn't ask for a higher reward, though some gifted her with books (or on one occasion, a silver key.)

What Macao didn't realize was that it was Natsu who inspired her to do that. With their first mission at Duke Everloo's, with Lucy realizing that actually completing their mission wouldn't be a good thing, and Natsu refusing payment because they technically didn't do the job, he taught her a valuable lesson.

The mage watched curiously as Lucy left the building with Jellal.

He had been rather impressed when he heard that Jellal was training Lucy, which not only gave the girl more confidence, but left her better equipped for her jobs. Of course, she didn't neglect to practice with her Celestial Spirit magic, either.

She had grown a lot since joining Fairy Tail.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Requip will come later on. And new silver keys will be coming up. ;) You guys might be amused if you're familiar with the crossover characters that I'm going to have as two of the Celestial Spirits. They're not in the original story, either.**

 **ATTENTION: I've decided that midnight is a good time to post a new chapter, since I've decided that I like waking up to reviews and not having to wait while conscious, constantly checking my e-mail because I'm just like that. That being said, it probably won't be unusual for me to post TWICE in one day. I'm only warning you guys because unless you're getting alerts for this story, if you only go by when the story has been updated you won't be able to tell unless you go back and check.**

 **I'm on Mountain Time, so there's the midnight update and there will be the occasional 5 PM update. For example, I'll probably post another chapter at 5, and then another at midnight.**


	9. Welcome, Asuka Connell

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, any of the crossover characters, or anything they're related to.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

One day Lucy happened to glance at her desk, and had been surprised to see her novel there, beginning to collect dust.

Lucy stood up, walked over to it, picked it up, and gently blew the dust from it.

She hadn't even realized that she had been neglecting her dream.

With a bittersweet smile, she realized that she'd been too busy worrying about everything else to indulge in her hobby.

Levy would certainly scold her for it, if she were there.

At that thought, Lucy's eyes widened in shock, before narrowing as she became determined.

She didn't know how long the Tenrou group would be missing, but she'd be damned if she let Levy come back without her novel having been finished.

And with that, she sat down and began to write.

Ironically, she had stopped writing just before her two characters were going to be married.

Luckily for her, Bisca and Alzack's own wedding (where more than a few tears were shed) gave her plenty of inspiration.

The males _still_ hadn't stopped teasing him because Bisca beat him to proposing, though the gunslinger was too happy to be too bothered by it.

* * *

*Eight months later*

Lucy had just read the acceptance letter from a major publisher, giving her the opportunity to put her _second_ novel out into the world.

Lucy had of course already finished the first, but it wasn't time for that one to become public.

She had just taken out a bottle of wine and a wine glass to celebrate when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked cheerfully, feeling giddy that her dream was about to come true.

"Bisca's at the hospital." Laki said quickly. "The baby's coming."

With that, Lucy's eyes widened, and she ran out of her apartment, not even bothering to end the call.

On the other end of the line, Laki chuckled as she faintly heard a door slam.

* * *

"You're doing great, Bisca." Alzack said encouragingly, trying not to show how much pain he was in from Bisca's grip.

After all, he was certain that her pain was far worse than his.

Five hours of pain and screaming later, a nurse handed Alzack a baby wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Congratulations, it's a girl." The nurse told him with a warm smile.

Alzack found himself tearing up, and turned to see his beautiful wife staring at the blanket in awe as she ignored her less than ideal physical state.

Without a word, Alzack gently placed the newborn into Bisca's arms.

"She's beautiful." Bisca whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Of course she is." Alzack said with a smile, feeling more proud than he had ever been. "She got it from you."

Bisca weakly swatted her husband on the arm, but was too entranced by her daughter to put too much effort into it.

A nurse popped in, looking frazzled. "You two have visitors. They're quite insistent. Do you think you're up for it?"

Bisca and Alzack grinned at each other fondly, before nodding at the nurse. "Go ahead and let them in."

And just like that, Asuka Rouge Connell joined the Fairy Tail family.

* * *

Bisca and Alzack looked at their daughter proudly as their friends swarmed the little girl, cooing and making silly faces at her as she giggled adorably.

They watched as Droy accidentally dropped her, and shot out of their seats in alarm, only to sit back down in relief as Jack quickly caught her with his Wind magic and having it set her gently in his arms.

Asuka was startled, but didn't cry out, instead choosing to play with Jack, who was probably her favorite male in the guild besides her daddy.

Alzack took ahold of his wife's hand with a smile as Bisca shot a warning glance at Droy, who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and looked slightly ashamed.

No matter how much Asuka fell, someone would always be there to pick her back up again.

They would make sure of that.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **I couldn't have possibly let something as big as Asuka being born (and the wedding) go by without a mention. Her and Jack have a special bond because in Rise of the Guardians he a) became a guardian meant to protect children and b) his little sister was a major part of his life until he was tragically taken from her and lost his memory. Though in this story his past is different.**

 **Note: Not Ro** _ **gu**_ **e as in the Shadow Dragon Slayer, but Ro** _ **ug**_ **e like Moulin Rouge. (Minor spoiler: before joining Fairy Tail, Bisca was a thief who went by that name.)**

 **Jack uses Winter magic, a combination of Ice, Snow, and Wind magic. He can also turn invisible at will (kind of like in RotG, I guess, except that was because no one believed that he existed) and fly.**


	10. Fundraising (again)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your Dragon, Kuroshitsuji, or Ouran High School Host Club. Or any other series related to my crossover characters. Or the Fairy Tail Main Theme song. (This disclaimer is longer than usual.)**

 **Aqua Fire Queen: sorry, your private messaging is apparently disabled. No, Lucy won't become the strongest in the guild, not by long shot. She is getting stronger physically and magically, but she's not a powerhouse so much as she's learned how to use what she has more effectively. As for villains that might join Fairy Tail…hm. Villains from the crossover series, maybe, but I haven't thought about it for actual Fairy Tail characters. I suppose Flare is a possibility, but she seemed happy to be back in her home village. Or I can briefly mention the Key of the Starry Skies arc and have Mary Hughes, at least, join the guild. I don't know.**

 **Guest who didn't leave a name:** _ **yes**_ **, really. Hiccup, Toothless, and Jack were in the original story, too.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy stared in utter bemusement at her newest spirits, Lepus and Lupus, the Hare and the Wolf.

It had been odd enough that she had been forced to buy the two silver keys together (not that she wouldn't have, but she _had_ to), because there was a blue string tying the two keys together that apparently no one had ever been able to remove.

Fairy Tail was currently holding a sort of arts festival, in another attempt to bring in a profit as well as to shamelessly promote their guild in the hopes of drawing in more members.

"Takeshi!" Honey, the Celestial Spirit for the Hare constellation called with a giggle. "This cake is really good!"

"Ah." Mori (as only Honey was allowed to call him by his first name) agreed with a nod, expressionless.

A group of girls from Blue Pegasus swooned at the sight.

Sherry and Chelia Blendy, Sherry's seven year old cousin, had stars in their eyes as they looked at the example of familial love.

Mori was extremely tall, at least compared to Honey. He had black hair and almost black eyes. The only one who managed to get him to talk was Honey, who Mori protected with every fiber of his being, though the Hare didn't need it. He was very hard to read, and Lucy was almost tempted to play poker with him.

Honey was rather short at 4'11, though he was supposed to be eighteen years old physically. He had honey- blonde hair, large brown eyes, and an infectious grin. He was sweet, charming, and adorable. He also carried a pink rabbit plush he called 'Usa-chan' with him everywhere he went.

You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but he was also a very dangerous fighter.

For one thing, Honey was very manipulative when he wanted to be, using his 'kawaii' personality to charm people into giving him sweets, especially cake. He had mastered the puppy-dog look (complete with tears) a very long time ago.

Honey and Mori didn't have magical abilities, but instead specialized in martial arts. Mori preferred using Judo and Kendo techniques, while Honey was absolutely lethal in his own style of martial arts, and he was also proficient in ninjutsu, using shuriken, kunai, and various other ninja weapons when he needed to.

He never missed.

Mori preferred merely subduing his opponents, but Honey destroyed them.

Luckily for Honey, Lucy had never forced him to torture or kill his opponents like some of his previous masters had.

How's that for stereotypes? The Hare was more dangerous than the Wolf.

And heaven forbid Lucy call upon his key when he was sleeping. Luckily, Lucy was usually quick enough to summon Mori before Honey destroyed something.

Eventually, she realized that she had been staring at the group for a long time, and shook her head.

Her spirits would always surprise her, it would seem.

* * *

Jack laughed joyfully as he threw a snowball at a little girl, who fell and erupted into giggles.

He had been running the ice sculptures booth, but Lyon Vastia from Lamia Scale had come to relieve him so that he could enjoy the fair for a while.

"Again, again!" she cheered, bright green eyes looking at Jack pleadingly.

The Winter mage smiled at the adorable little girl, and he ruffled her blonde hair playfully. "Having fun, Sophie?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Oi!" a voice called, and Jack looked up to see a tall, muscular teen with gray hair and green eyes scowling at him.

"Can I help you?" Jack asked with a slow blink.

"Yeah, how about you stop knocking my sister over?" he said angrily, and Jack blinked at the unfamiliar accent. Was that…Australian?

Why didn't his little sister have the same accent?

"We were just having fun." Jack explained, raising his hands up to try and placate the guy. "We were having a snowball fight. Right, Soph?"

The blonde grinned widely as she nodded her head, and Jack almost cooed as he noticed her front tooth missing, which made her smile even more adorable.

The older male (probably about 22 years old) scowled at Jack. "Leave her alone."

Jack scowled back. What did he do wrong? His main job _was_ to make sure the kids had fun, and he had been doing that!

"Geez, Kangaroo, better find a specialist to remove that stick; I think it's pretty far up." Jack said, before smiling at Sophie sadly and waving goodbye.

Aster was too shocked to respond to the nickname and insult.

He was annoyed to see that Sophie was pouting as she waved goodbye to her new friend.

"I'm a bunny!" he huffed indignantly, before gently grabbing his sister's shoulders and turning her towards him. "Don't mind him, ya little ankle-biter. He'll give ya frostbite."

He ignored her confused expression as he guided her to the booth with the paintings.

After all, that was what he came here for.

* * *

Ryder was having a decidedly better time.

"Ready, bud?!" he asked Toothless, having to shout to be heard over the wind.

The Night Fury warbled in agreement, looking just as excited.

With that, the pair launched up into the air, reveling in the wind blowing around their faces.

Freedom.

Ryder sighed in content.

"Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

From the ground, a blonde girl was staring at the two in shock.

Was that… _Hiccup?_

 _Still_ on that blasted beast?

PERFORMING?!

She snarled viciously, ruining her otherwise attractive face.

Stoick would be hearing about this.

With that, she ran to the docks, where she would soon be picked up by one of the Hairy Hooligan tribe's ships.

She couldn't know that the chief wouldn't believe her claims, positive that his former son wouldn't be able to survive out on his own. The other Vikings would laugh at her, shaking their heads and taking her less seriously every time she tried to convince them.

It would be years before they swallowed their words.

But Astrid knew.

And she prepared.

* * *

Charlotte bit her lip lightly as she glanced over the crowd.

"Are you ready?" Lucy asked.

The blue-eyed beauty looked at the other girl and nodded.

With that, Lucy summoned Lyra, the Lyre spirit, and the three girls walked up onto the stage.

Lucy's guild mates looked at the group curiously. Some of them recognized Lyra (who was a big help in getting Asuka to sleep), but who was the other girl?

Lucy smiled as she sat down at the piano bench.

Lyra set down her lyre next to her, and Charlotte raised her violin.

The three girls began playing without a word.

(They're playing the Fairy Tail Main Theme Song)

When the girls finished playing, the audience was silent…

Until thunderous applause nearly deafened them.

* * *

"Who is that?" Jet asked curiously later on after the performance had ended.

"Oh!" Lucy said. "Everyone, this is Charlotte Phantomhive. Charlotte, everyone."

The girl smiled a bit and curtseyed slightly in greeting.

The mages were struck by her beauty, especially the males.

Charlotte had long dark blue hair and sapphire blue eyes. She was wearing black jeans and a dark blue blouse, along with a black jacket and fingerless gloves. She also wore a black combat boots and an odd silver ring with a large square sapphire gemstone.

"Phantomhive?" Cobra asked, eyebrow raised as he examined her appearance. Unlike most of the males, he wasn't staring because he was attracted to her, but because he recognized her surname.

Charlotte's smile became slightly fixed. "Yes. Countess Charlotte Angela Rachel Phantomhive."

Lucy smiled at her sympathetically as the others looked at her in surprise. "Charlotte was looking to join a guild, and we've known about each other for years, though we never met, so she came to me when she heard I had joined Fairy Tail."

"I saw a flier for this event on her desk, and I asked if I could help." Charlotte added. "Lucy told me that she wanted to play that song, and that it would sound better with a lyre _and_ violin accompaniment, and I just so happened to know how to play, so she taught it to me."

"What was that song, anyway?" Reedus asked quietly. "It was beautiful."

Lucy blinked away her tears at hearing that statement, and smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you. I wrote it when I was ten in memory of my mom."

Reedus' eyes widened in surprise and sorrow for her loss, but he wasn't particularly surprised.

The best art was inspired by the artist's loved ones.

* * *

Half an hour later, the group stood in the guild hall. They would clean up from the event later.

"Where would you like your guild stamp?" Kinana asked cheerfully.

"Don't suppose I could put it on my eye." Charlotte said dryly.

Cobra glanced at her again. So the rumors were true, then, or at least some of them.

The girl's father had been contracted to a demon, and the contract seal had been placed on his right eye, which he had purportedly covered with an eyepatch.

Interesting.

Charlotte blinked at the startled looks she received, before shaking her head. "Never mind, I was kidding. The same shade of blue as my eyes…on my left wrist, please."

The same side that her family's ring (the one declaring her head of the Phantomhive family) was placed on.

And with that, Fairy Tail gained another member.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **I know nothing about the technical aspects of music, playing an instrument, or anything like that. I added the mini-concert as a request.**

 **Crap! Now I'm torn between Hijack (Hiccup and Jack) and FrostBunny (Jack and Aster). FrostBunny, or one of the variations of their ship name (JackRabbit, for example), is really disturbing when Aster is a Pooka/Bunny, but when he's human I like the pairing.**

 **For those of you who are curious, Aster said that he was a bunny because he has a sort of shape-shifting magic that turns him into a Pooka, aka a giant alien rabbit. It's not exactly Take Over, because it's only one form, but it is a Transformation magic.**

 **I hadn't been planning to bring him into the story, but now that I have…**

 **Great. So! I'll put it up to a vote.**

 **POLL! Should Jack be with Aster (Bunny) or Hiccup/Ryder?**

 **Charlotte is my OC from the anime Black Butler, or Kuroshitsuji. Basically, she's Ciel and Lizzy's daughter. Ciel abandoned her and Lizzy because he only needed an heir to continue the family line. She grew up with her mother, and was mentored by her father's old maid, Mey-Rin. She holds noble titles on both sides of her family (Countess for Phantomhive) and is very well-off financially. She's boring in this chapter, I know, but I'll flesh out her character later on. For those of you who know about Mey-Rin's past, considering she's Charlotte's mentor…well, Charlotte has an** _ **interesting**_ **skill set. ;)**


	11. Lucy's S-Class Nomination

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, etc.**

 **Note: There** _ **will**_ **be more crossover characters, specifically the rest of the ones from the original story. Only a year or so has passes since the others disappeared, and if I want the other characters at the right age and having already been through their own stuff I need to have them join the guild at different times.**

 **Sorry to all of you who were confused when you got a story alert but there wasn't an update. I** _ **did**_ **post a chapter, but my sister pointed out to me that I was using crossover characters in this story that I haven't introduced yet, so I took it down. And sorry it took so long to repost it; I'm on vacation and haven't had the time.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath as she arrived at the train station.

She wasn't surprised to find that she was the first to arrive, so she bought her ticket and sat down on one of the benches, pulling out one of her favorite novels…

* * *

 _*One week earlier*_

 _Lucy blinked in surprise as she noticed everyone crowding around the job requests, sprinting out of the guild hall after having Kinana approve the missions._

 _Was it really that time again?_

* * *

" _This year's S-Class candidates are…" Macao paused, allowing the tension to build._

" _Come on, old man, don't be cruel." Wakaba said with a smirk._

 _Romeo snorted. He was obviously too young to become an S-Class mage, so he wasn't nearly as tense as everyone else was._

" _It's Master to you!" Macao snapped irritably. "Whatever. Lucy Heartfilia. Jack Frost. Meredy Milkovich (since Ultear's her foster mother). Max. Nab. Kozue Orihara. That's it. You can have one partner for the exams. Choose wisely."_

 _Jellal and Ultear had been granted automatic S-Class status due to Jellal having been Wizard Saint as well as having been on the Magic Council, and Ultear also having been on the council. No one had argued with that decision. The two were thrilled that Meredy and Lucy had been chosen, but S-Class mages weren't able to partner up with the candidates, and since both were chosen they couldn't pair up with each other."_

 _Lucy gaped in shock. Sure, she had been training, but did the Master really think that she was ready to be an S-Class mage?_

* * *

 _Meredy pouted._

 _She couldn't choose Ultear, Jellal, or Lucy. Her next choice, Kozupii, was also out for obvious reasons._

 _She paused for a moment, thoughtful, before heading towards Laki._

* * *

" _Why didn't anyone ask me to partner with them?" Cobra asked with a huff, feeling slightly insulted._

" _Because you get grouchy when Kinana's not around." Laki answered with a smirk, enjoying the blushes on both of their faces. "No one can pick her for the same reason, and even if both of you were asked, you would be pitted against each other and you would be even worse."_

 _Cobra growled at her in warning, but Laki just laughed._

* * *

 _Macao shook his head in amusement as he watched their interactions._

" _Meet at the train station next Monday at 9 o'clock!" he called, receiving a few nods._

 _It was traditional to leave for the exams via water, but with what had happened last time, Macao wasn't willing to jinx it._

* * *

Lucy grinned at her friends as they (finally) started to arrive.

She didn't know it, but when they came back, she would be S-Class.

* * *

 **Please review! :P**

 **Raven is most definitely powerful enough and smart enough to become S-Class, but Macao didn't chose her because he wants her to gain more control over her abilities first.**

 **I'm not going into detail about Lucy's S-Class trials. You guys can use your imagination. The point is: she won.**


	12. Yui's New Friend

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Sword Art Online, or any of the other things the characters in this story are connected with.**

 **Hey guys! Sorry it's been awhile, I was on vacation, and afterwards I just wasn't feeling up to start writing this story again yet. The fact that I had an idea for something else (if any of you like the Percy Jackson series, I'm working on a crossover between that and Sword Art Online, the first chapter is posted) didn't help.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Yui giggled cutely as she gazed in wonder at the many flowers in the garden they were passing.

"They're so pretty!" she gasped.

The five year old blinked in surprise as she suddenly found herself up high. She glanced up to see that her 'Aunt' Sinon, her papa's best friend, had picked her up and was smiling at her.

Come to think of it, momma and papa were smiling at her, too.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon chuckled, shaking their heads at her.

She huffed, puffing out her cheeks, and Sinon squeezed her.

Why were big people _always_ smiling at her?

She hadn't even made a joke!

Was there something on her face?

* * *

An hour later, Kirito and the girls were searching frantically for the little girl.

Yui had been holding onto her mommy's shirt, but apparently she had gotten distracted and wandered off when they weren't looking.

'How could we lose our own daughter?!' Asuna thought hysterically, running a hand through her long chestnut-colored hair and messing it up a bit.

Not that she noticed or cared.

Sinon had immediately gone to the cathedral, the highest vantage point in Magnolia. With her eye magic, which enhanced her vision tenfold, that was where she would be most useful.

Kirito and Asuna, on the other hand, were searching on the ground.

"Damn it!" Kirito cursed.

* * *

Yui hummed as she swung on the swings at the park.

When she had realized that she had lost her family, she was scared. She didn't know who to go to for help.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over her, and Yui looked up to see a pretty blonde girl with large brown eyes blinking at her in surprise.

"Hello." The girl greeted, kneeling in the sand next to the swing.

"Hi!" Yui said with a cute smile.

The older girl smiled back. "Are you okay? You looked worried."

Yui bit her lip. "I got separated from my mommy and daddy."

"Oh my!" the girl said, eyes widening even more. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

With that, she held out her hand, which Yui took with a giggle.

* * *

"I found her!" Sinon told her friends through her walkie-talkie.

"WHERE?!" Kirito and Asuna shouted back immediately, probably startling the heck out of the people surrounding them.

"Near the park, heading north." She relayed. "She's with a girl about our age. The girl is giving her a piggy-pack ride, and they seem to be looking for something. Probably us."

Asuna sighed in relief. Her baby was okay, and it seemed that Yui had run into someone who wanted to help her, as opposed to one of her birth father's men who would kidnap her.

* * *

In short order, the group managed to find Yui and her rescuer.

"Mommy! Papa! Aunt Sinon!" Yui called as she saw them, waving the over.

The trio ran towards her, and her new friend Lucy put her down so that she could run towards them, too.

* * *

Yui blinked up at Lucy, who was smiling awkwardly at the many, many thanks she was getting, though she tried to assure the three that it was no trouble at all.

Pretty.

…OH!

So _that's_ what it was.

Lucy was smiling, which made her happy, so…smiles made people happy!

Well then.

Her family could smile at her anytime they wanted.

Even if she still didn't quite understand why.

* * *

After seeing Yui interact with Lucy for a while, and realizing that having another adult that the little girl trusted and could count on was a good thing, Fairy Tail gained four new members.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Is Yui a bit out of character? Maybe. But in this story she's not an AI, she's a real little girl. Canon Yui is so mature in part** _ **because**_ **of her background. This Yui didn't have to watch thousands of grieve and a few hundred commit suicide when she was designed to assist with their emotional issues but wasn't allowed to help them. She's just another little girl who had a hard life because she had a horrible father before Kirito and Asuna came along.**

 **And yes, she's officially a member. She's younger than Romeo by a few years, but her magic is still pretty powerful, especially for her age. She's an empath and she uses Archive magic.**


	13. The Blind Bandit

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the things/characters this story crosses over with.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy frowned as two people entered the guild hall.

They were very well dressed, and looked upon her guild mates with disdain. They didn't look like they wanted to be here.

So why were they?

The woman locked eyes with her, and seemed to sigh…in relief?

She nudged her companion, before the duo walked towards Lucy gracefully.

"May I help you?" the blonde asked, wanting to establish control of the conversation.

"I hope so." The woman said. "We would like to request a mage to do a job for us."

"Why not go through the proper procedures?" Lucy asked immediately, narrowing her eyes.

The man frowned. "Proper procedures?"

"Yes. Potential clients fill out an application to the Magic Council, who then rank and distribute the job requests to the legal guilds." Lucy explained. "Going directly to a guild with a request is highly unusual."

The duo shifted uneasily.

"Well, surely you can make an exception!" the woman said desperately. "We can pay very handsomely."

Lucy frowned. She was seventeen. Why did these two think that she was in charge?

"If you'll follow me, I will lead you to our guild master's office." She turned and began walking, confident that the pair would follow her. "I don't have the authority to do what you are asking of me."

* * *

The two blinked in shock. This girl wasn't the guild master?

She was young, of proper marrying age. Really, she should be looking for a husband and preparing to raise children at her age instead of running around playing with magic.

Still, she had appeared to be the most normal person in the room when she walked in, which was why they had assumed that she was their guild's master.

They could tell from her posture and etiquette that she had been raised in a wealthy home.

Why someone like that would give it all up for this, they would never know.

* * *

*An hour later*

Lucy scowled.

These two were just like her father!

Well, like he had been before she threatened him and he got some sense knocked back into him, at least.

What was this job that the duo wanted Fairy Tail to complete?

Bring their daughter, who had run away, back to them.

By any means necessary.

The sense of déjà vu struck not only Lucy, but Macao, who knew enough about what caused the war with Phantom Lord to see the similarities.

Knowing how much Lucy had been affected by her father's own actions and not wanting to cause another young girl to go through the same thing, the guild master had 'respectfully' declined.

The Bei Fong couple left disappointed and not a bit disgruntled.

"You know they're just going to go to someone else." Lucy said conversationally.

Macao sighed, before nodding. It had been a good decision asking the blonde to stay for the meeting, apparently.

"We should warn their daughter." Macao agreed. "Would you—"

"I'll have grandpa Crux try and locate her for me." Lucy cut him off, accepting his request before he even verbalized it.

"Don't go alone." Macao warned her. "We don't know who else the Bei Fongs are going to try and get help from. They might go to a dark guild."

Lucy nodded in acquiescence.

* * *

"I don't need your help!" Toph, the Bei Fong heiress, shouted angrily. She raised her arms to get ready to attack.

"We aren't saying that you do." Lucy assured her.

"We're only trying to warn you." Jellal agreed, eyeing the girl's stance thoughtfully.

The girl paused for a long moment.

Unbeknownst to the two Fairy Tail mages, Toph was also a mage, capable of using Earth in its pure elemental form, much like Juvia used Water as opposed to Water Magic. Her magic enabled her to sense vibrations through the Earth, and a person's heartbeat always gave some sort of tell that gave them away when they were lying.

Their heartbeats stayed steady.

After a moment, Toph yanked off her sunglasses, and the other two were shocked to see the glazed, milky green orbs.

She was blind?

The girl sat down crisscross, and the two looked at each other and shrugged before also sitting down.

"This isn't the first time they've tried to kidnap me." She said bluntly, ignoring the surprise that she could feel coming from them.

Thankfully, they didn't comment on her supposed handicap.

Lucy frowned. "No luck persuading them to leave you alone, huh?"

Only the blonde's tone stopped Toph from snapping at her again. Instead, the Earth user paused.

"Daddy issues?" she guessed sarcastically.

Granted, she almost always spoke sarcastically, so she wasn't trying to be particularly insulting.

"Of a sort." Lucy agreed, resting her head on her hand. "Let's just say I can empathize with you. My dad eventually gave up. I did have to threaten him, though."

Jellal glanced at his surrogate sister in surprise. Threats weren't really her style, but he supposed that if her father had been persistent enough…

"With what?" Toph asked with a smirk. Maybe the other girl wasn't as soft as she had originally thought.

"My guild's wrath." Lucy answered. "We're kind of known for avenging the people we care about when they need it."

Jellal grimaced. Since his memory from his time when he was possessed had come back, he could vouch for that.

"And it worked?" Toph asked thoughtfully.

"Well, yeah." Lucy blinked in surprise. "Like I said, we have a reputation."

The two Fairy Tail mages nearly fell over in shock at the girl's next question.

"Well then, I don't suppose your guild could use a new member?"

* * *

Three months later, and Toph was fitting in really well with the other crazy, violent Fairy Tail mages. She rather appreciated the fact that there were daily guild brawls. Their reactions to her abilities closely resembled their shock and then excitement they had when Wendy had joined the guild.

Eventually Toph's situation with her parents came to a head when they did indeed send a few dark mages after her.

Luckily, Lucy's claim had held up. The moment the Bei Fong couple were confronted with the angry Fairy Tail mages, ready to fight to the death for Toph's freedom, they ran away with their tails between their legs.

In the end, Toph decided to stick around the guild, despite having only joined for the aforementioned purpose.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Toph and Lucy's situations are rather similar. Rich, sheltered, their parents/father wanted them to be a porcelain doll with no independence, etc. Main difference is that Lucy left of her own accord, while Toph had to be talked into it by Aang, Sokka, and Katara.**

 **Yes, Toph being able to tell whether or not people are lying is canon. For those of you familiar with A:TLA, that's why she believed Zuko when he said that he wanted to help them, even though she had never met them, unlike the others who didn't believe him at first.**


	14. Son of Satan

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Fairy Tail, Blue Exorcist, or anything relating to the characters in this story.**

 **Warnings: attempted murder, angst**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Shiemi screamed as the older exorcists converged on Rin. She was about to run to help him, but found her arms and waist trapped.

"You _can't_ , Shiemi!" Izumo told her, voiced strained as she tried to hold back tears. "If you get caught in the crossfire, he'll get hurt trying to save you. His only chance is to escape."

Shiemi collapsed in the other girl's arms as she began to sob.

It hurt to know that she would only be a liability that would make the situation worse for Rin, but the thoughts of not being able to help, not being able to _try_ , was much more painful.

She didn't care that he was half-demon. Sure, she'd been surprised and wary when she first found out, but it only took a day or so for her to realize that Rin was still the same goofy, loveable dork who had offered a shy girl (her) his friendship.

Quite a few of Rin's friends were of a similar mind, but it appeared that the boy's twin brother and their exorcist sensei, Yukio, was not.

He was right there with the others, doing his best to kill his last remaining family member.

The second the blonde girl spotted him, her crush on him shriveled away to nothing, and the normally reserved and uncertain girl was filled with a rather unfamiliar emotion to her.

Hatred.

If Yukio could turn on his older twin, who had only ever tried to look out for him, then who knew what he was capable of?

* * *

Later that night, Rin's classmates in the Exorcist program all laid in their beds, thinking about what they had witnessed that afternoon.

Yukio-sensei, the person that they were supposed to trust with their lives, had turned on his older twin with the intent to kill.

A majority of the other Exorcists had done the same.

Rin hadn't even done anything! He hadn't gone on a rampage, or lost control of his blue fire. He hadn't hurt any of them, or even insulted anyone.

The attack had been completely unprovoked.

Now, the other teens had differing opinions of the older Okumura.

Konekamaru had been afraid of Rin before the half-demon saved his life.

Shima considered him a good friend, and had never been afraid of him. The two were alike in many ways, both being lazy goofballs.

Bon thought that the boy was a harmless idiot even _after_ his secret came out, but reluctantly respected him for saving his life and for being just as determined to kill Satan, his birth father, as Bon himself was.

Izumo also thought that he was an idiot, but then again, she thought that of most of the people she met, even Bon, who was her competition for top of the class. But Rin had seen through her arrogant mask, and he had saved both her and her best friend's lives when they surely would've perished otherwise.

Even Shura, full-fledged Exorcist and Rin's private tutor, was furious at what had happened. She hadn't been there, much less joined in, but she had made it perfectly clear to everyone where she stood on the matter, solidifying the students' respect for her.

Rin Okumura had left a mark on all of their lives, and now, despite not having joined in the attack against him, they felt like they had betrayed him.

The one silver lining in this otherwise dark situation was that Rin had managed to escape in the heat of the battle.

* * *

Rin gasped, eyes squeezing shut as he tried to fight off the pain. Not only was he still injured from the attack (and wasn't it just a stab to the heart that his twin got in a few painful shots), but he hadn't slept in three days, or had anything to eat or drink.

His only comfort was Kuro, his faithful demon familiar.

The Cat Sidhe had been the only think that had kept him going. In fact, it was due to him that Rin had even survived. The demon had knocked down most of Rin's attackers in his larger form before grabbing Rin with his mouth and running away.

A moment later, Kuro yowled (more like roared in this form) loudly as Rin finally lost consciousness.

* * *

' _Is he okay?'_

Those were the first words that Rin heard when he woke up.

' _I think he will be, Kuro. Your friend is strong.'_

The unfamiliar voice caused the fifteen year old to sit up quickly, eyes opening as he desperately took in his surroundings, only to shut them quickly as the light blinded them.

Kuro pounced on Rin's torso, forcing the air out of his lungs as he gasped for breath.

Rin brought a hand to scratch behind the cat demon's ears, rubbing at his eyes with the other.

"Ano…where are we?" he groaned.

Rin grimaced at the harshness of his voice, and was immediately handed a glass of water.

He glanced up, only to see a pretty blonde with long curly pigtails and beautiful brown eyes smiling at him sweetly, causing him to blush.

"A-arigato." He said, ducking his head slightly as he sipped at the water, wetting his dry throat.

"You're in the city of Magnolia, located in the country of Fiore." A voice spoke, and Rin turned his head to see an older man with light purple hair squinting at him. "Your friend tells us that you're from Japan, is that right?"

"Hai." Rin agreed nervously with a nod. "I've never been this far west before…"

"Well then, welcome!" the man said with a sudden smile. "You're currently in the Fairy Tail guild hall."

"Fairy Tail?" Rin asked, tilting his head.

"A magic guild." The man explained. "I know magic isn't big in Japan, but here it's completely normal."

Rin frowned thoughtfully. "Okay."

"Anyway, I'm Fairy Tail's guild master, Macao Conbolt." The man, Macao apparently, introduced himself. "Kozue here found you in the forest and brought you here."

He motioned to the girl from before, who blushed slightly before waving. _'It's nice to meet you, Rin!'_

"Uh, you too, Kozue." Rin stuttered, unused to someone so kind. "How—"

' _Kuro told us your name, and one of my magic abilities is telepathy.'_ Kozue explained, guessing at what he was going to ask. _'And call me Kozupii!'_

Rin nodded, smiling a bit. "Thanks, Kozupii."

Macao smiled at the pair. "You were in pretty bad shape, so she brought you here and had our guild's healer, Porlyusica, take a look at you. You're in pretty good shape now, considering."

"Ariga—uh, I mean, thank you." Rin said, not used to speaking in English. He was lucky that Shiro, his adopted father, had been insistent that the twins become fluent in the language. "I guess…I'll go know, then."

' _Why do you want to leave?'_ Kozue sounded slightly hurt, and she pouted at him adorably.

"W-well, I don't want to be a burden." Rin said, eyes wide. "Besides, I'm…kind of dangerous to be around."

His shoulders slumped, and he looked down.

"Eh, we already have two half-demons in our guilds, what's one more?" Macao said, waving a hand as if dismissing it.

Rin's head shot up in alarm. "EH?!"

The pair blinked at him, before Kuro meowed sheepishly from his lap.

"Snitch." Rin muttered, realizing that Kuro had told them his secret.

' _Sorry Rin.'_

Rin sighed, before turning to the others. "You want me to join your guild?"

Macao nodded. "If you want. It's up to you."

"But…I'm not a mage." Rin protested half-heartedly.

"No, but you've got that blue fire thing going on, and you can understand demons." Macao pointed out.

Rin blinked. "Actually, how did you understand Kuro?"

' _He didn't.'_ Kozue explained, projecting her thoughts to both of the males, as well as Kuro himself. _'I can understand him since he communicates telepathically, so I translated.'_

Macao and Kuro both nodded in agreement.

"Okay…" Rin said slowly. "So I don't need magic, just an odd ability."

"You could say that, though we have had members who didn't have any." Macao agreed.

"Well, it'd be nice to have somewhere to stay…" Rin trailed off. "Wait, did you say there were _two_ other half-demons in this guild?!"

The other three sweat-dropped at the delayed question.

* * *

Rin was delighted to meet Raven and Charlotte, though he was confused that they were all different _kinds_ of half-demon.

Charlotte's father was a high-level demon who served under Lucifer, one of Rin's half-brothers. Besides being physically superior to most humans, her demon heritage wasn't very obvious. Rin had the potential to become stronger, but she was far more experienced and skilled than he was.

Raven was the daughter of Trigon, a multi-dimensional demon that was basically Earthland's equivalent of Satan. She had seven half-brothers, who just so happened to be the Seven Deadly Sins. Raven's demon heritage was most obvious, with the flying and four red eyes when she got mad, but she was mostly a calm person with a wicked sense of humor.

And Rin, of course, was Satan's son, and the half-brother of Earthland's Demon Kings, which of course included Lucifer.

Weren't they an interesting bunch?

* * *

Soon enough, Rin and Kuro bore the same guild mark as everyone else. Kuro got his in gray, in honor of his previous master Shiro's hair, on his side. Rin's was blue, the same color as his eyes, which he chose to put on his left shoulder.

They made a home for themselves in Fairy Tail, and Rin did his best to forget his brother's betrayal. At least he didn't have to worry about his friends, though, since he'd heard them cheer when Kuro got him out of there.

* * *

 **Please review!**

' **Ano' is basically a substitute for 'um', according to three-second search I did when I got curious. If that's wrong, sorry.**

 **Yes, Charlotte is also a half-demon. Ciel became a demon and got Lizzy pregnant to sire an heir for the Phantomhive family before abandoning them.**

 **Okay, unless I come up with a new character to add at this point (Itachi from Naruto has been suggested, which I'm considering, but I think if I do that it'll happen later on), the Tenrou group will come back next chapter.**


	15. Tell the World I'm Coming Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to my crossover characters, including Charlotte.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Fairy Tail mages in the guild hall jumped slightly when the doors slammed open with extreme force.

"We're back!" a voice shouted, causing more than a few to freeze in place before slowly turning towards the doorway.

Kinana, who was fixing a hole in the wall from one of the more recent brawls, slowly slid down the wall onto the floor as she recognized her old friends, including the man who broke her curse and the lovely Mirajane, who took her on as a student to teach her Take Over.

It was silent for a long moment as the Tenrou group waited for a reaction, and everyone else tried to get through their shock as their minds registered that none of the group had aged.

That didn't last long, though.

"LEVY!" two voiced cried in unison, lunging towards the group and tackling their teammate (who was now so much younger than them, geez, did that make them pedophiles?) in a hug.

Jet and Droy's words seemed to open the floodgates, and suddenly everyone who had known the group was coming forwards, tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces, as they reunited with their long lost family members.

* * *

It wasn't long until the Tenrou group asked what they believed to be the most important question of all.

After all, they had no guarantee that Zeref hadn't lied to them.

"D-did Lucy get back alright?" Lisanna asked, wide eyed and nervous.

Her expression was shared by the rest of the Tenrou group, to some extent. Predictably, Team Natsu's reactions to the words were more intense than the others'.

"She got here fine." Macao assured the poor girl. "Dropped right from the ceiling. She needed some medical attention, but she told us that was from before."

"Then where is she?" Natsu asked anxiously, Happy hovering over his shoulder. Neither of them would be able to relax until they saw her for themselves.

"She's on a mission with her brother." Wakaba called out.

Instantly, Team Natsu grew confused.

"Brother?" they echoed.

Surely the blonde Celestial Spirit mage would have mentioned—

"Oh, not by blood." Kinana explained, shaking her head. "They've just become pretty close throughout the years. She helped with his issues, he helped with hers…they consider each other family."

"Who?" Gray asked with a slight frown. Had he been replaced?

The purple-haired girl was about to answer, when the doors opened again, albeit much more gently.

"Hey, every—" the voice cut off immediately, and everyone turned towards the entrance.

The Tenrou group gasped at the blonde beauty that they had just been talking about, who was staring at them in shock.

The person right next to her only made a few of them even more shocked and confused.

"Jellal!" Erza said, eyes watering slightly as she brought a hand up to her mouth.

The blunette stared back at his childhood friend. "Erza…"

* * *

"Wow Lucy, you haven't aged a day!" Natsu said with a grin.

Lucy sighed, still catching her breath from when the life was almost squeezed out of her with her old friends' hugs.

"No, it's subtle, but it's there." Mirajane commented, loosely tugging on a strand of blonde hair. "You grew your hair out a bit."

"And you're a bit taller." Levy pointed out ruefully. Meanwhile, she was the shortest in their group.

The blonde really hadn't changed very much. Her hair was a bit wavier, and she didn't hold it up anymore. She was about two inches taller, too.

Of course, her outfit had changed.

Instead of her short skirt and revealing top, she wore a cream-colored skirt that reached just below her knees, with a matching short-sleeved blouse. She wore a beautiful gold corset-like top, and paired with the shirt, it was much less revealing that her original outfit. She had exchanged her black stockings and boots for white heeled boots with gold buckles, wore a gold pair of earrings similar to her old ones, and she had a gold heart locket around her neck.

The most noticeable change, however, was her lack of whip and pouch for her keys.

"You really haven't changed much." Meredy mused, leaning on the table next to where Juvia was sitting. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were the Arc of Time mage, not Ultear."

The woman in question pouted playfully at her adopted daughter, but didn't comment.

"So…how did you two join?" Gray asked, feeling glad that he'd be able to get to know Ur's daughter, and of course the younger girl (now older than him) she considered family. Juvia seemed to really like her, too.

"Ah, well that's kind of a long story." Ultear muttered with a sigh, taking a sip of her drink. "Meredy and I were wandering around after Tenrou disappeared, and we heard that Lucy was petitioning for Jellal to be freed due to mistreatment by the guards, and the fact that he was innocent of course. Since it was my fault he was there in the first place, I offered to help."

"So, long story short, Jellal was freed. He was legally in my custody for a few years, but that was only on paper. Of course, one of the requirements was that he stayed in the same building as me, and since my apartment was too small, we had to move." She said thoughtfully. "That's okay, though. I like my new place. I bought it, so I don't have to deal with rent. Jellal moved out a few years ago, too."

"Better you than me!" Ultear laughed. Lucy stuck her tongue out at her.

* * *

"Erza…" Jellal said, happiness and wonder showing in his eyes. They had separated themselves from the group for a private moment after Erza had talked with her old friends for a bit.

They scarlet-haired beauty's eyes watered as she saw his guild mark, the same color that he had named her after. She huffed out a laugh, and hugged him as he held her just as tightly.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **This chapter isn't too different from the original.**


	16. The Blacksmith and the Winter Spirit

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, How to Train Your Dragon, or anything relating to the crossover characters in this story.**

 **Warning: obvious hints of slash/yaoi (between Jack and Hiccup)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The first thing that Erza did once the partying ended (and it had taken a while) was go down to her favorite shop, not counting the bakery of course.

Heart Cruz, where she had bought all of her favorite outfits and most of her battle gear.

The old man who ran the shop glanced up as he heard the bell, and froze as he got a look at her, eyes widening in shock.

"Miss Scarlet?!" he yelped.

The redheaded beauty smiled at him and nodded, earning a beaming smile from the man, who quickly came around the counter to hug his favorite customer, who hugged him back just as fiercely.

He had been like a third grandfather to her growing up, not counting Rob and Makarov. Even when she had no money, when she first joined Fairy Tail, he had traded her some of his wares in exchange for her doing a few chores for him, which she hadn't minded in the slightest.

"It is good to see you alive." The old man said. "Your young friend ensured that none of us gave up hope, but I wasn't sure I'd still be around to see you again. You haven't changed a bit."

Erza hugged him even tighter, closing her eyes as they began to tear up. "We were more or less frozen in time. It is slightly jarring to come back to see everyone seven years older even though to us it feels like no time passed at all."

The old man smiled sympathetically, before patting her on the shoulder. "I can only imagine. Now, would you like to see what I've got?"

"Of course." Erza agreed, eyes brightening in excitement.

And that was that.

"RYDER!" the old man bellowed suddenly, and Erza startled.

She glanced at the old man in confusion, only to raise her eyebrows as she heard an unmistakable voice coming from the back of the shop.

Moments later, a young man came out, wiping his hands on a rag, and glanced at the two of them.

Erza didn't recognize him.

The young man had messy auburn hair, the length almost reaching his chin. He had large, expressive green eyes, freckles spattered across his face, a slightly large nose, and a small white scar on his chin. He was lean, standing at 6"1.

He wore leather armor with padding, covering pants and a tunic. The armor had a lot of buckles and straps, wires and what looked to be hidden compartments.

However, there were two things that _really_ caught Erza's attention.

First was his left foot, or lack thereof. Where the foot should have been was a silver prosthetic, which was clearly well-made.

The second thing was the fact that he had a green Fairy Tail emblem painted on his shoulder pads.

"Hello…?" the man greeted her awkwardly in a slightly nasally voice, before glancing at the old man.

"Ah, right, introductions." The old man muttered. "You are in the same guild after all."

"Wait, what?" the younger male asked, confused. He glanced curiously at Erza, who pulled up her left shirt sleeve to show her own blue Fairy Tail mark, and his eyes widened.

"Erza Scarlet." She greeted, shaking his hand.

"Ryder Haddock." He returned, shaking her hand firmly. "So…you were one of the members who went missing, right?"

Erza nodded.

"Got it. Nice to meet you." Ryder said with a smile.

"May I ask what you are doing here?" Erza asked curiously.

Ryder gestured towards the older man. "He's getting on in age, so whenever he gets a big project that might give him trouble, he has me come by and do it for him."

"Best decision I ever made." The old man said with a nod, smirking at Ryder's slight blush. "At this point he just comes over whenever he's in town, does my work for me, and I pay him for it. Good deal if you ask me."

Ryder rolled his eyes. "And I appreciate the fact that you let me use the workshop for my own projects."

The old man's eyes lit up, and he turned to Erza.

"This kid is a natural-born blacksmith, I'm telling you!" he enthused. "Slightly more archaic than most people are used to, but damn if it isn't better!"

Erza held back a chuckle at Ryder's mortified (yet pleased) expression.

The old man ended up following the two around the shop as Ryder and Erza discussed what was for sale, some of Ryder's projects, Erza's battle tactics, Ryder's love for dragons (or wyverns, since they weren't like the ones Wendy, Gajeel, and Natsu were raised by), and he even caught her up a bit on current events.

All in all, a productive visit.

* * *

"C'mon, Hiccup!" a voice whined. Gajeel turned towards the guild hall door, not recognizing the voice, to see two men walk in, and a small black…dragon (?!) trailing behind them. He glanced around, noting that no one else was freaking out, so he decided not to say anything.

The one who had spoken was a guy around Gray's age, and Gajeel was reminded strongly of the Ice Make mage because the new person brought with him an aura of cold. He had silvery white hair, ice blue eyes, and pale skin. He wore a blue hoodie with frost decorating it (and not thread made to look like frost, but _actual_ frost), brown pants, a weird Shepard's crook, and he was barefoot.

"Stop calling me that, Jack." The first figure sighed. The man was about six feet tall, with a lithe figure and lightly tanned skin. Gajeel couldn't see where his guild mark was on his skin (or the white-haired one, for that matter), but the symbol was in green on the shoulder plate of the strange armor he was wearing.

However, what really caught Gajeel's attention was the fact that instead of two legs, the man had a metal stump for a left foot. He looked closer at the stump, eyebrows furrowing as he noticed that it was actually very well-made, and looked like it held a few _interesting_ surprised.

Lastly, he analyzed the draconic creature. It was pretty small, especially compared to Metallicana, but it looked really fast, and was probably very stealthy when flying at night, if its color said anything. It had green eyes, a similar color to 'Hiccup's', and was moving like a feline as it followed the two boys.

"Sorry, Ryder." Jack said with a grimace, knowing that his friend didn't like being reminded of his time living in his old village.

"Eh, it's okay." Ryder muttered, slightly distracted as he noticed the unfamiliar people in the guild. "It looks like the group from Tenrou is back…"

At that moment, the white-haired guy jumped, perching on his staff, toes gripping the wood.

"What—" Gajeel muttered.

"He can fly when he has that staff." Levy's voice suddenly sounded from beside him, and he had to force himself not to jump. Was he so occupied that he hadn't heard her coming? "I asked Kinana about the types of magic all of the 'new' guild members have. Well, or I asked them myself."

"He reminds me of Ice Block." Gajeel muttered, slightly confused.

"Well, yeah, he would." Levy agreed. "The Shepard's crook is kind of like a holder magic, allowing him to fly, but he also has something called Winter magic. It's like snow, ice, and wind _combined._ And he can make himself invisible if he wants."

"Gihihi." Gajeel smirked. "I wonder how he'd measure up against the Stripper."

"Well, with the way our guild is with brawls, maybe we'll find out!" Levy pointed out cheerfully.

"Maybe." Gajeel muttered. "And the guy in leather? And the…dragon?" His fist clenched unconsciously.

"A different kind of dragon than the ones you, Wendy, and Natsu were raised by, I'm afraid." Levy said sadly. "His name is Toothless, a Night Fury."

"He has teeth." Gajeel pointed out, staring at the dragon's mouth.

"They're retractable." Levy explained. "I asked. Apparently Ryder, the other guy, thought the name was ironic. I actually didn't get an answer about his magic; I'm not sure he's a mage. But he's a good fighter; he fights on Toothless' back. And he's an inventor—he's the one that forged that leg, the gear on his dragon's tail, the saddle, a light but very durable shield that doubles as a crossbow, a flame sword with a retractable blade, and made his armor."

"Damn." Gajeel muttered, impressed. The leg, as he'd already noted, was exceptionally well-made, but the rest? He would have been annoyed at the impressed look on Levy's face if he wasn't the same.

"I am a mage, actually." A slightly nasally voice spoke up from behind them, and Levy and Gajeel both spun around in surprise. There was Ryder, rubbing the back of his neck with a slightly red face, with Jack right behind him, smiling a bit. "Nothing as fancy as most of the others in this guild, though."

"Sorry!" Levy apologized, blushing slightly. Not because she was attracted to him, though he _was_ very attractive (she liked Gajeel after all), but because they'd just been caught talking about him.

"Gihihi." Gajeel chuckled darkly. "If you can make stuff like that, you don't really need a really flashy kind of magic."

"True." Ryder muttered, almost to himself, before he grinned awkwardly and stuck out a hand, shaking both Levy and Gajeel's. Gajeel was surprised at the man's firm shake, since he was rather thin, but what kind of fighter could he be if he didn't have any muscle on him? "I'm an empath."

Levy's eyes brightened in intellectual curiosity, and she began asking him questions about how his power worked, with Ryder answering to the best of his ability.

Jack laughed at the interaction, before introducing himself as well, and sat down with Ryder, Toothless lying on the ground behind them. The four mages talked for hours about magic, past experiences, and Gajeel asked Ryder's opinion about where the other dragons might be. Ryder didn't know, but was eager to help if he could.

During the conversation, Gajeel and Levy raised their eyebrows as they noticed the vibes coming from the two boys when they interacted with each other. Sneaking glances at each other, Jack kept ruffling Ryder's hair or leaning over him, blushing and looking down when the other caught them staring…

Interesting.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **The last part is mostly the same, but the first is entirely new. I realized that Erza would be curious about a guild mate who also happens to be gifted with forging things, including weapons and armor, so there you go.**


	17. Natsu's Challenge

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything relating to my crossover characters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Mirajane hummed happily to herself as she got the bar ready for the day ahead. After Tenrou, it was nice to be doing something so normal again.

She glanced up as Lucy entered the hall, smiling cheerfully. "Well good morning, Lucy!"

"Good morning, Mira." Lucy returned with a dazzling smile, walking up to the bar and sitting down on one of the stools. "Elfman and Lisanna still asleep?"

"Yes." Mirajane answered with a giggle. "Elfman usually gets up early to work out, but the boys decided to challenge Cana to a drinking contest…"

"Ah. Say no more." The blonde shook her head ruefully. "You would think it would have sunk in that they aren't ever going to be able to outdrink her."

"Oh well, it makes it fun for the rest of us." Mirajane said with a devious glint in her eyes.

Lucy shuddered suddenly. Drinking meant losing your inhibitions and/or getting into embarrassing situations…which meant plenty of blackmail material for those sober enough to either remember or—heaven forbid, document it.

And the She-Demon, feared throughout the guild as being a master manipulator and plain terrifying, was _not_ someone you wanted to have any leverage over you.

"So Lucy, any interesting tidbits I should be made aware of?" Mirajane asked with a wink. "Such as…oh, a man, perhaps?"

Lucy's eyes widened, before the blonde coughed awkwardly and hopped off the stool, making excuses as she ran away from her friend.

Mirajane had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

Oh well. She could get her information elsewhere.

* * *

Gray looked at Lucy curiously when he noticed that the blonde mage was walking down from the very top level of the building.

"When did she become S-Class?" Gray wondered quietly, knowing that the top floor of the 'new' guild hall was reserved for the elite mages.

"Eh?!" Natsu practically shouted. "Who?"

"The year after you all disappeared." Jellal answered, hearing Gray's question and following his gaze to see who he was talking about. "She worked very, _very_ hard to get where she is."

Natsu finally saw Lucy, and blinked slowly.

He was slightly put out, to be honest. She hadn't even been a candidate last time, yet she still managed to pass the exam. And she hadn't even been in the guild two years at that point, while he had been in Fairy Tail since he was seven!

Erza calmly hit the Fire Dragon Slayer upside the head, guessing at his thoughts when he pouted. "Natsu. She more than deserved it, I'm sure. I'm quite proud of her."

Lucy was close enough to hear Erza's comment, and blinked in confusion. "What's up you guys?"

"Not much, Lu." Gray said with a smirk. "Just processing the fact that you got S-Class before Fire Crotch and I did."

Natsu growled at the insult, but refrained from attacking when Lucy laughed.

"Congratulations, Lucy." Erza said, beaming happily. "I knew you had it in you."

"Thank you, Erza." Lucy said warmly as the others offered up their own congratulations, though Natsu was still pouting slightly. "Oh, don't worry, Natsu. There will be plenty of action in the next few months."

"What do you mean, love rival?" Juvia asked, causing the others to jump as they hadn't noticed that she had appeared behind Gray.

The Ice Make mage himself looked slightly creeped out, but less than usual, Lucy noticed.

Still, the love rival thing had gotten old years ago. Gray was like her (now younger) brother. Oh well.

"Well, we've added a few more guild events to the roster…" Jellal mused.

"Including exhibition matches, where we can test our strength against each other, and even mages from other guilds." Lucy added. "Three matches every four months. We rent out a venue, sell tickets, take bets, etcetera."

"Really?" Erza's eyes glinted as she smiled dangerously, causing Natsu and Gray to back away nervously. "Three matches? One on one?"

Lucy nodded in agreement. "Yeah. One of the battles is set, but the other two aren't. Talk to Macao if you want to sign up."

With that, the redhead sped off.

Jellal shook his head fondly. "I wonder who she'll be up against."

Natsu's eyes lit up. "Oh! We should mention it to Mira! They haven't had a battle in forever!"

Gray was more hesitant. "Yeah, but remember the last time they _did_?"

Jellal and Lucy blinked at the two teens, who shuddered in unison, before deciding that they didn't want to know.

* * *

Later that day, Lucy was slightly underwhelmed when Natsu challenged _her_ for the match.

What, now that she was S-Class, he wanted to test himself against her? Was she not good enough until now?

No, that was slightly unfair, wasn't it?

The pinkette _had_ actually tried fighting with her before, but when she was younger she was too scared of getting hurt, too fearful of being considered weak, too…

But that was before.

She had grown up quite a bit since then.

As such, she nodded towards Macao, who officially marked them down.

Now it was time to begin strategizing…

* * *

Laxus couldn't help but overhear.

So the blondie had accepted Natsu's challenge, huh?

Well, he was curious to see the outcome of _that_ battle.

He had always noticed the blonde girl, acknowledging her looks but otherwise disregarding her as a weakling. God, he had been an ass before his exile.

It was only later, during the Battle of Fairy Tail, that he got his first inkling that he had been wrong about her. Her blonde hair by no means influenced her intellect (though he would hope not, considering his own blonde hair), and she had even beaten Bickslow in a fight.

Believe it or not, that was quite a feat.

Unfortunately, he hadn't really had time for that realization to sink in before he was sent off, but through letters with the Thunder Legion he did manage to find out some more about the enigmatic blonde.

Freed and Bickslow had gone on and on about how the girl had saved 'Loke', being more aware than most of how Celestial Spirit magic worked. Bickslow had been impressed by her bond with the spirits, but Freed was more interested in her skill.

Laxus had never thought about it before, but opening a portal between Earthland and the Celestial Spirit world required quite a bit of energy just to summon the spirits, much less to keep the gate open and to power their attacks. Silver keys took a decent amount of magic, but the gold ones took much more.

And the (then) seventeen year old had been summoning the Zodiac spirits one right after another, using their most powerful attacks, fought beside the Lion spirit with her whip, _and_ still took out one of Laxus' lightning lacrima.

There were other stories that had been conveyed to him through mail, some of which his team had found out about much later, since they had only just begun socializing with the rest of the guild.

Back on topic.

Lucy Heartfilia.

Laxus would be the first to admit that he'd been a callous jerk when he'd made that comment back when Phantom Lord was attacking. Freed's subtle disapproval after he hung up on Mirajane had made that clear.

But regardless of that, the blonde didn't seem to hold it against him in the slightest.

Her smile when she saw him was just as wide as those for her other friends, except her old team. She even managed to talk Macao into allowing him back into the guild, which the older man had done with little to no hesitation.

He seemed to trust her completely. Had she taken on the role of advisor during the time they had been gone? What about Wakaba?

The Lightning Dragon Slayer tuned out the Thunder Legion, who were still celebrating his re-entry into the guild.

* * *

"Wait a minute." Gray said, freezing in place. "You said one of the matches was already set up, right? So who's fighting?"

"Jura Neekis from Lamia Scale against one of our new members, or at least new to you." Lucy answered. "Toph, one of our S-Class mages. She uses Earth, too, so it's going to be an interesting battle."

"Just how good is she?" Erza wondered. "From what I remember, Jura is a very strong and capable mage."

"Well, Jura is one of the Wizard Saints now, and he admitted that he wasn't sure which of them was going to win." Jellal answered. "Toph's power over Earth is more ingrained and instinctual than his own. She moves a limb and the Earth moves with it. She doesn't use magic circles, call out her attacks, or anything like that."

Juvia perked up in interest, as did the rest of them who didn't already know the Earth user.

"But the most interesting part of her fighting style is what most would automatically assume is her greatest weakness." Jellal continued.

"What?" Natsu asked eagerly.

"She's completely blind."

* * *

Natsu suddenly stiffened, and he suppressed a low growl.

A moment later, they could see why.

A certain dark-skinned man with a long white coat had just wandered in.

"Erik!" Kinana exclaimed, beaming as she hugged her fiancé, who hugged her back even though he was glancing at the 'newcomers' warily.

"Cobra?!" Happy shouted.

"Yeah, we managed to arrange for his release, too." Ultear murmured.

"But…why?" Erza asked, confused.

"Well, he was getting desperate trying to find out where Cubellios was." Kinana spoke up, smiling fondly. "And his desperation was so real and intense that the magic council did an investigation, because he was going crazy with worry."

"His purple snake?" Happy asked, tilting his head.

"Yes." Laki said. "Anyway, as it turned out, his snake was a human, and had been transformed into a snake by a dark mage before Erik found her."

"Ah, yes." Makarov muttered, suddenly appearing. "I was the one to realize it and change her back. I was unaware of that detail, of course."

"And now he is happily engaged to our resident Serpent Take Over mage." Laki cheered, happy for her best friend.

Kinana giggled in agreement, showing the others the platinum engagement ring with a rather beautiful amethyst stone and snake-like vines making up the band. "He was visiting Richard (formerly known as Hoteye.)"

"Wait, I missed something." Natsu said.

"Idiot." Gray scoffed. "Kinana was Cubellios."

Kinana nodded in agreement, before she transformed into her most used snake form, a large dark purple one with wings and a white underbelly.

"Woah." Levy summed up the others' thoughts.

"I know, right? Though, I had amnesia for a long time, so I didn't remember my time with the Oracion Seis when I first joined Fairy Tail." Kinana grinned after she transformed back.

Those who had been part of the Allied Forced against the dark guild (except Lucy) just blinked at the pair.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **I figured I'd have the other crossover characters come in later instead of mentioning them all to the Tenrou group immediately. The series kind of set a precedent of not mentioning a character until they appear (or right before) anyway.**


	18. What's Going On?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to the other characters.**

 **lalu hater here: Oh well. Sorry, but this was clearly marked as LaLu. Why would all the blondes have to be related just because they're all blonde? Does that mean they should be related to Sting and Rufus, too? Juvia, Levy, Wendy, and Jellal aren't related. Natsu and Meredy aren't related to Sherry or Chelia. Lyon isn't related to the Strauss siblings. Laki and Kinana aren't related. Heck (SPOILER if you aren't caught up with the manga) Zeref's little brother definitely doesn't have the same hair color he does.**

 **Wow (Guest): Haha, thank you! Yes, it's a compliment. :) I read those stories where she gets too strong too fast as well, and most of them are completely realistic in that aspect (well, unless there's time magic involved or something like that.) In this story she gets strong enough to beat the others in the S-Class exams in a year, though that's mostly because the new really strong members weren't able to become S-Class during their first year in the guild and she didn't have to go against them. That being said, she didn't stop or let up on her training after becoming S-Class, so she kept improving during the seven years. I still don't really consider her over-powered, though.**

 **Warning: spoilers**

* * *

"Wendy!" Lucy called down to the Sky Dragon Slayer, who was lounging around the Guild Hall.

"Yes, Lucy?" the blunette called up at her, blinking innocently.

"Can you come up here for a bit? We have someone here with a problem that you might be able to help him with…" Lucy trailed off as the younger girl immediately starting coming up the stairs. "Thanks!"

"What's wrong with him?" Wendy asked, concerned, once she'd reached her 'big sister.'

Lucy bit her lip. "I…I don't really know how to explain it. I think you should just examine him yourself."

Wendy nodded before the two stepped inside.

The young girl blinked at the unfamiliar figure sitting on the bed.

He was a rather handsome (if slightly effeminate looking) young man, probably about 28, with black hair in a loose ponytail, dark red eyes with strange black shapes surrounding the pupil, and tear-troughs (AN: that's apparently what they're called, just look him up and you'll see what I'm talking about) going down to his cheeks.

He wore an odd headband, with an odd symbol struck through with a jagged line. He had dark nail polish on his fingernails and toenails, which she could see because his feet were bare. He wore a navy blue shirt, black slacks, and a necklace with three silver rings with red gemstones inside of them.

"Hello." The man greeted Wendy quietly. The soft tone of his voice surprised her.

"H-hello. I'm Wendy Marvell." Wendy returned, eyes narrowing as she looked at his well-worn (and in some places shredded) clothing. "A-ano…what can I help you with?"

At that, Porlyusica spoke up, and Wendy was startled that she hadn't noticed the older woman's presence before then. "His power is focused through his eyes, and is causing him to go blind. There's only so much I can do for him without the ability to use true healing magic, but you don't have that problem."

Wendy's eyes widened at that information. "I'll do my best to help, ma'am!"

As the twelve year old went to work, one Itachi Uchiha sat stunned as these strangers did their best to help him without expecting anything in return…

* * *

Lucy frowned thoughtfully as she glanced at Itachi.

He was looking much better than he had when Laxus and his team had found him, where he had been wandering around aimlessly, no memory to speak of. When the Fairy Tail mages had seen the man's eyes bleed as he used his powers to fend off would-be attackers and the man collapse in exhaustion, they had brought him to the guild hall immediately.

He still didn't remember anything, but his attire and rather unique skill set had given them some clues.

A ninja.

Missing ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha, if his forehead protector was any indication. Makarov had been weary when he saw that, but the man's loss of memory and his attitude (polite, calm, and pacifistic) had alleviated his worries.

His power was apparently the bloodline trait of the Uchiha clan of Konoha, and the 'upgraded' version of that power was what caused his vision issues and tears of blood. They only had a vague idea of what his power could do, as Itachi didn't seem to know much about it himself (he went on instinct the few times he had used it), but they had managed to find out a bit about the Sharingan eyes despite that.

They hadn't quite figured out _why_ it had been messing with his vision, but Wendy and Porlyusica had managed to figure out a way to cure what they had realized was a terminal illness.

Of course, they really had no way to get Itachi back to wherever he belonged. As a missing-nin, there was probably a bounty on his head back in the Elemental Nations (Konoha being in Fire). Fairy Tail didn't have the authority to travel there to try and find out more, either.

The blonde mage bit her lip as a thought occurred to her.

Maybe…maybe a group from the nations could come to Fiore, instead.

And she had just the idea on how to make that happen.

Possibly.

* * *

Two months later, Lucy's idea came to fruition.

Itachi had fit into Fairy Tail fairly well, though he never officially joined the guild. There was a certain sadness to him, however, that concerned them all, especially since the man didn't seem to know _why_ he felt that way.

"Listen up, you brats!" Makarov shouted from the top floor, standing up on the railing as always. Hopefully he wouldn't fall this time.

A lot of the mages down below grinned at the newly-reinstated guild master, recalling how Gildarts had briefly held the title before forcing it back on the old man via letter long after he had left Magnolia.

"We just got a letter from the Magic Council about this year's Grand Magic Games!"

Many in the Tenrou group blinked in confusion.

"What's that?" Gray asked after a long moment of silence.

"Fiore holds a nation-wide competition every year to determine the strongest guild in Fiore." Kinana explained cheerfully. "The Grand Magic Games."

"We've won every year since it started." Bisca explained, causing Asuka to clap happily.

"SWEET!" Natsu crowed excitedly. "We get to beat people up!"

He was unprepared for Erza to hit him upside the head.

"Master is speaking, Natsu." The redhead scolded sternly. "Pay attention."

"Y-yes ma'am!" Natsu agreed with a groan.

The guild members not familiar with their antics sweat-dropped, though Toph snickered.

Natsu hadn't made the best impression on the blind Earth user. She'd been more than happy to accept his challenge, but his comment about 'going easy on her' when she beat him and his pride had been hurt hadn't been appreciated.

The pinkette had been paying for it ever since.

It's not like he had actually _meant_ it!

Honestly though, the others were mostly annoyed because him being beaten by the stronger members of the guild was nothing new, and he really should've reacted better.

The worst part was that if it hadn't been for that careless comment, they probably would've become good friends. Unfortunately, Natsu was an idiot, and while Toph wasn't really one to hold a grudge, implying that she wasn't strong enough to beat him in a fair fight got the Fire Dragon Slayer on her shit list.

Shame, really, but there was nothing for it.

"Anyway." Makarov said dryly. "The Games are no longer for mages only, and they're open to the other nations as well."

Oh look, more silence.

"What?" Macao asked, baffled. Beside him, Wakaba's cigar had fallen out of his mouth.

* * *

Itachi slowly looked up, eyes unreadable. The mages had informed him of what they had deduced from what he had been wearing, so he knew that he wasn't from Fiore…

But was it a coincidence, he wondered, as he glanced at the blonde Celestial Spirit mage, who he thought was the most likely to act out of the people who knew about his apparent past.

He wondered absently if anyone at the Games would recognize him and be able to tell him who he was. The only thing that he had remembered was his name.

Hopefully they weren't enemies of his, though...

* * *

Ryder was worried that his father's tribe would come, which would put both him and Toothless in danger, not to mention everyone who the Vikings saw as his 'accomplices.'

'If they dare try and hurt Jack…' he thought darkly, clenching his fists angrily.

Eventually, he shook his head and berated himself for his thoughts.

Who was he kidding?

If it came down to a fight, the Viikings wouldn't even be able to land a hit if they were up against Fairy Tail.

* * *

'Shit, the Exorcists hate magic, they'll come just to try and show us up!' Rin thought, panicking slightly, before Kozue put a hand on his shoulder.

He glanced at the petite blonde, calming down a bit as he looked into her eyes.

The Exorcists had no authority over him. Any attempt to hurt, kill, or otherwise interfere in his life would be met with hostility from Fiore, and they probably wouldn't want to risk the possibility of going to war over someone who wasn't their 'problem' anymore.

That, and he wasn't the only half-demon in Fiore. They might give him some trouble, but Charlotte and Raven were _way_ out of their league. Either girl could kick their collective ass single-handedly, he was sure.

To say nothing about the rest of the guild.

Kozue smiled as she sensed her friend calm down, glad that she had been able to help.

* * *

Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon were also worried about the new development. The people who had tried to kill them and drove them out of their country weren't mages, but now that it was open to more groups of people, who knew what could happen?

Would Yui's biological father, the great 'Oberon' himself, try and take her back and continue using her in his godawful experiments?

* * *

Toph, on the other hand, wasn't worried. She had finally gotten through to her father a few years ago, after successfully fending off all of the people he'd hired to kidnap her, and he had finally disowned her, refusing to acknowledge her existence. It had really bugged her that he couldn't just accept her choices, but that was on him.

* * *

Their thoughts were their own, but all of the mages who worried about the upcoming event had the same though.

Joining a guild of people who would do their damnedest to help you with your personal problems had definitely been a good idea.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Yes, Itachi. It was requested a few chapters ago that I add him in the story, and though I'm only about 10 episodes into the anime, you learn a LOT from fanfiction and I really like his character, so I figured why not. Later on a few people from Konoha (and possibly Suna) will come into the story, and there will be another yaoi pairing or two, though not involving Itachi. Anyway, this is about 7 years after (SPOILER) Itachi died, so Naruto and the others are a bit older. He didn't die in this, but everyone else thinks he's dead. And he actually did lose his memory, he's not faking it. He'll get it back eventually.**

 **BTW, any ideas on what I can call the new Games? Can't call it the Grand MAGIC Games if mages are only one of the groups participating.**


	19. Teams A and B

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything the crossover characters (meaning every character not from Fairy Tail) are related to.**

 **No, Sasuke is most definitely not going to try and kill Itachi when he sees him alive. He knows the truth about what happened and** _ **why**_ **he did what he did. This will have some SasuNaru, though, despite Itachi's request (not that I've read the manga or anywhere near enough of the anime to have known about that) that Naruto be a better brother to Sasuke than he was. Like Itachi could dictate what kind of relationship they have, or would've known any better.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay, brats." Makarov mumbled after 'his' kids had all quieted down a bit. "Macao told me that he didn't usually choose teams for the Games this early on, but you'll be able to train more this way, and those of you participating in the upcoming exhibition matches can train as well."

Natsu perked up at that, grinning at the thought of training (or more specifically, the fight he'd be training _for_.

"Because of the new rules, more people are allowed to participate, and since there isn't a rule about how many teams a guild can enter…" he trailed off a bit, before continuing.

Team A: Lucy Heartfilia, Jellal Fernandes, Ultear Milkovich, Toph Bei Fong, Raven Roth, Itachi Uchiha, and Charlotte Phantomhive, with Kozue Orihara and Meredy Milkovich as our reserve members."

Itachi blinked slowly, surprised. They'd been testing his powers as much as they were able, but was he really strong enough for something like this?

He was the only one really surprised to be chosen, though. The others had all either competed in the Games before or been chosen as reserve members, and Macao had mentioned that he would recommend that they be considered for the team when Makarov became guild master again.

"Team B: Erza Scarlet, Mirajane Strauss, Juvia Lockser, Gajeel Redfox, Laxus Dreyar, Gray Fullbuster, and Natsu Dragneel, with Jack Frost and Rin Okumura for reserve."

Jack scowled slightly. He'd been patrolling with Ryder during the Games for years, since Jellal's team had sensed something that they could've sworn was Zeref-related every year during the event. Would he still be able to do that if there was a possibility he'd have to go up and fight at some point?

Rin bit his lip, slightly conflicted. On one hand, he probably wouldn't need to compete. On the other, if the Exorcists _did_ enter the Games, he didn't want to be in a position where there might be a confrontation, which there _would be_ if he was up against senior Exorcists, Yukio included. His friends, on the other hand…

Well, it would be nice to see them again.

"Hell yeah!" Natsu shouted, pumping a fist into the air, letting Makarov finish his sentence since he didn't want to get hit by Erza again. "Now there's a fire in my belly!"

Various people shook their heads in a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

"Right…" Makarov muttered, before raising his voice. "Anyway, get to training, you brats!"

* * *

Ultear smirked vindictively as she eyed the returned mages who had been trapped on Tenrou.

Wakaba had mentioned her special technique about unlocking people's Second Origin, and while the others (since everyone in the guild with Earthland magic had already gone through it) had warned them, they had been ignored.

Not that she felt bad about it. They'd been offered a choice, after all.

Luckily for the Arc of Time mage, Jellal's girlfriend (even if they weren't _technically_ official yet, everyone knew it was going to happen sooner or later) had unlocked her Second Origin when she first used magic while she had still been a slave in the Tower of Heaven.

Ultear had pouted a bit, but cheered up a bit when she realized that now she wouldn't have Jellal glaring at her for causing the redhead so much pain. He didn't hold her past actions towards him against her, but he wouldn't be so forgiving if Erza were hurt.

* * *

Lucy bit her lip thoughtfully, wondering what she could do to train for the competition (and the exhibition match, for that matter.)

A moment later, her eyes perked up, and she equipped a silver gate key.

"Open: Gate of the Phoenix. Nick!" she intoned calmly.

A column of flames emerged, from which a man walked out.

He looked to be a few years younger than Lucy, but of course that doesn't mean anything when it comes to Celestial Spirits. He had dark red hair, and black eyes with red pupils. He wore black pants, a long dark red coat, and no shoes or shirt. On his neck was a flame-shaped ruby pendant on a black ribbon.

"Lucy-sama." The man greeted with a polite bow. "How may I assist you?"

"Just Lucy, Nick." The blonde corrected, smiling fondly. "I am set to fight against my friend, Natsu Dragneel the Fire Dragon Slayer. I have a basic strategy in mind, but I thought that it would be easier to consult you…"

And so it began.

Her physical training didn't pick up that much, actually, but she worked through quite a few puzzles and mind exercises to keep her mind sharp, while also working on her tactical skills.

After all, even the strongest of opponents could be brought down if they were outsmarted.

* * *

Raven's idea of training was more enjoyable for her than it would be for most.

Countless of hours of meditation, to calm her mind and keep a firm grip on her more destructive side, and even more hours going through her 'creepy-looking' spell-books and practicing anything that might be of use.

And it _did_ actually help, she wasn't just being lazy.

Considering her favorite hobbies were reading, meditating, and drinking tea…

Well, two out of three wasn't bad.

Though her team had managed to talk her into training her hand-to-hand combat skills, which she hadn't practiced as much as she should've without Robin there to nag her.

That part wasn't so enjoyable.

* * *

Jellal frowned thoughtfully as he removed a long, flat trunk from beneath his bed.

'Should I?' he wondered, unlocking it and opening it to see the various staves, which had been found in Mystogan's (it was less strange than referring to him as Edo-Jellal) safe house.

He removed the stave with what looked like a fan at the end, waving it around experimentally and cringing when the weapon released a wave of magic that broke his lamp.

'I'm going to need some practice.' He thought, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, before perking up. 'Maybe Erza can help me…after all, they _are_ weapons, and that's her specialty!'

He was only slightly disappointed that he had to share the beautiful redhead with Kozue, who had already asked her to spar with her so she could try and improve her sword skills. Erza's weapons were quite a bit more powerful, but the telepath's reality-bending powers definitely made it a challenge even when you considered Erza's fake eye, which could see through illusions.

Luckily, the blonde was also training with Meredy, so she wasn't _always_ monopolizing Erza's time.

Erza's knowing smile when she noticed his _not-_ jealous pout was worth it, though.

* * *

Toph, like Jellal, had also enlisted some help.

She had plenty of experience against the basic elements (fire, water, air, and especially earth), but the sub-elements, not so much.

As such, she had Laki and Max attack her with their earth-based Wood and Sand magic, and Droy created some plants that would try to restrain her that she had to avoid, which was difficult considering her senses were muddled with the more water-based magic.

She'd even managed to talk Wendy (Toph would've _loved_ to give her a semi-insulting nickname like she did most people, but the girl was just too likable and self-conscious for her to do it) into attacking her, to give her some practice fighting against something that she couldn't 'see' coming.

 _That_ was a challenge, but at least the Sky Dragon Slayer's own skills improved during the training.

Still, that prudish cat, or 'Exceed', was still annoying.

Always telling not only Wendy but _Toph_ to act more 'ladylike' and 'appropriate'!

Damn cat.

Just wait. Toph would corrupt Wendy with her tomboy-ish ways in no time.

'I am not Toph, I am Melon Lord! MWAHAHAHAHA!' Toph thought, cackling, before she froze. 'Damn, not that again.'

She'd gotten _way_ too into character when she was acting the part of the villain while training with the Gaang back before she joined Fairy Tail.

* * *

Charlotte's eyes glinted happily as she destroyed the training dummy with her dual swords.

Her mother might be pushy and act like a ditz (which _frustrated_ her because she _knew_ that she wasn't!), but the lessons Elizabeth Midford-Phantomhive had given her had made her one of the best swordsman in England.

She blinked as she realized that there wasn't really anything to hit anymore, before shrugging and going off to the gun range Alzack and Bisca had opened up, having liked the idea so much after the Arts Festival that they decided to make it an actual business.

Maybe her mother and Mei-Rin (her mentor who happened to be a badass former-assassin who was the best _sniper_ in England) would come watch her in the Games.

She hoped so.

Not only did she want to make them proud, but she wanted her mother to see that she was more than capable of taking care of herself and didn't need a man by her side.

Ugh, if Charlotte ever met her great-aunt Angela, who had told her mother that men didn't like it when women were smart, strong, and independent, and that she would need a man in her life, she would stab her.

Then again, the woman was probably in Hell, having been a serial killer and all.

Well, hopefully she wouldn't end up there too, but if she _did..._

She had more than a few bones to pick with the woman.

* * *

Itachi took a deep breath, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth as he delved into a meditative state.

The guild had eventually realized what the source of his powers was.

Chakra.

They had managed to get their hands on a few scrolls detailing exercises and techniques, but Itachi had been able to do every single one of them without effort. The problem was that although his techniques were very powerful, he didn't seem to have a very large reserve to fall back on, so he would need to end a confrontation quickly for fear of his opponent(s) outlasting him.

Luckily, mages had their own ways of strengthening their magic and enlarging their magic capacity.

Maybe those would help…

The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint the group of people who had been so kind to him, despite the fact that all signs pointed towards him being a dangerous criminal.

Now he knew how Jellal, Ultear, and (to a lesser extent) Erik felt.

It wasn't a nice feeling, but at the same time, it felt nice to be accepted.

* * *

Ultear grunted as she was thrown into the lake from the backlash of her last attack during training.

*Sigh*

The training was slightly more intense than in the past few years. Of course, some of their team (mainly Jellal and Lucy) were hoping to show off a bit to the Tenrou group during the Grand Magic Games, so there was that.

Then of course there was the fact that they wanted to put up an even better showing than usual since there would be groups from all around the world competing.

Hopefully Lucy's plan would work, and Itachi would find out more about his past.

Unfortunately, Ultear wasn't sure it would be so easy. She would love for the man to remember happy things and be welcomed back with open arms by any family or friends he might have had, but the sad vibes he gave off when he tried to remember his life put her on edge.

For some reason, he kind of reminded her of herself, or what she had gone through, which wasn't really a good thing.

Had he repressed his memories because they were too painful?

She shook her head with a sigh, determined not to think about it too much.

She liked Itachi, he was a good man, but he wouldn't appreciate the pity and she needed to focus on getting stronger so that if things _didn't_ go well, she could step up and help defend him if need be.

As she tried to stand back up, she hissed slightly as she put some of her weight on her ankle.

Had she sprained it when she landed?

Just as she wondered that, she felt the strangest sensation, kind of like...

When she had tried to commit suicide by stabbing herself with a sword and falling into the ocean around Tenrou Island, right before she saw Ur's memories and found out that her mother had most certainly NOT abandoned and forgotten her.

' _Mom?'_ she thought, shocked and wide-eyed as she stared at the water.

She suddenly had the strangest feeling of her hair being ruffled.

Her heart clenched painfully.

She had made so many mistakes during the years, and the only thing that she didn't regret during her time with Grimoure Heart was her decision to bring Meredy with them instead of killing her as Zancrow was urging her to do.

But now?

In Fairy Tail, she had the opportunity to do things that would help to make up for what she had done, though she knew that her past crimes could never be erased.

She could make her mother proud.

At that realization, Ultear stood up and walked out of the water, not noticing that her ankle no longer gave her any pain.

 _Deep down in the water, a vague image of a young woman with short hair smiled, eyes closed, as she was able to 'hug' her daughter for the first time in a long time._

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **That Ultear and Ur moment was for you, darkworkangel!**

 **I gave Meredy Ultear's last name because we don't know hers, and according to the wikipedia her relationship with Ultear is that of a foster-daughter as opposed to a sister or whatever.**

 **I wanted to make Natsu a reserve member like in the original version, but I also wanted more people to be allowed on the teams so I could include Itachi on Team A, and why wouldn't Makarov choose Natsu to participate in Team B with the others? So, seven main members and two reserves per team.**

 **Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji spoiler: 'great aunt Angela' is Madame Red, who was indeed responsible for Lizzy acting like an idiot airhead when she's actually fairly capable. Charlotte's mom never knew about the Jack the Ripper thing, so didn't know to ignore anything the woman told her, but Mei-Rin, having worked for Ciel and having been privy to more information via eavesdropping, told Charlotte.**

 **Had I mentioned Kozue's secondary power, i.e. reality-bending? I'm not sure. The anime she's from, Chaos;Head, (spoiler) kind of reminds me of the Matrix in a way. Her and a few people are able to manipulate the (fake) world around them, using their swords.**

 **Hehe, the 'Melon Lord' thing is an actual Toph quote. Yeah…that was an odd scene. Avatar: The Last Airbender was full of those. That being said, I love the series.**

 **Meh. I feel like I rushed the last couple of chapters. Honestly, I'm just ready to write the Games, but I have to** _ **get there**_ **first. So sorry if recent and upcoming chapters seem a bit half-hearted. Doesn't help that I keep having ideas as I go along, like the whole 'non-mages and foreigners allowed to participate in the Games' (which I decided when I was writing the last chapter), and…I'm just trying to keep track of it all.**


	20. Valentine's Day

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the crossover characters.**

 **This chapter was posted on the original version for Valentine's Day, so expect fluff or something like that! The LaLu part is pretty much the same, but I decided to add some more couples. ;)**

 **Warning: mentions of yaoi, fluff, slight angst, etcetera**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Kinana blinked up at her fiancé, slightly confused.

Was Erik… _blushing?!_

Throughout the day, he had been acting oddly, being overly polite and complimenting her often. She thought it was sweet, but also slightly disturbing because it was _so_ out of character for him.

When he brought his hand out from behind his back and handed her a single, beautiful red rose, her eyes widened in realization.

It was the 14th of February.

Valentine's Day.

She launched herself at the taller man, bringing him down for a warm kiss, before breaking away for a moment and placing her forehead against his.

"Thank god!" she muttered, relieved. "I thought you were going to break it off!"

Erik's eyes widened, stupefied, but his indignant cry about how he'd been trying to be _romantic (!)_ was cut off as his fiancé kissed him again.

After a moment, he shrugged and held her more tightly against him.

Tch. Women.

Can't live with them, can't live without 'em.

Not that he ever wanted to live without his Kinana.

* * *

Alzack gazed at his wife and daughter with soft eyes as the two girls— _his_ two girls—fell asleep in the armchair, Asuka in Bisca's lap.

He got up, pressing a kiss to his wife's forehead before carefully picking them both up and carrying them to his and Bisca's room, setting them down comfortably before laying down himself.

If anyone was to look through the window, they would see the young couple sleeping peacefully with their four year old child between them.

* * *

Sinon, meanwhile, was babysitting Yui so that her best friend could be alone with his girlfriend.

"Yui, Valentine's Day is for couples!" she pleaded with the young, dark-haired girl. "Sometimes grown-ups need some alone time!"

"But I need to make sure papa doesn't get groped by evil homewreckers!" Yui gasped as Sinon caught her mid-jump, interrupting her escape attempt for the 15th time that day. "Auntie!"

Sinon groaned, resigning herself to a long day.

Yui was a joy to be around, really, but when she was in protective mode…

Well, she was really like her momma and papa in that regard.

Ugh. Kirito and Asuna _so_ owed her for this!

* * *

Levy sighed warily as she entered the girl's dormitory and shut the door behind her.

All day, she'd had the feeling that someone had been watching her, and it was just slightly unsettling, especially since it was Valentine's Day.

She really hoped it hadn't been Jet and Droy who were basically stalking her, though they would at least be preferable to an enemy.

The thought that it might have been Gajeel fluttered through her mind, and she blushed slightly, before chuckling at the irony.

She hoped it was Gajeel, a former enemy, when she had just thought that an enemy would be bad?

The blunette blew some of her hair out of her face as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Opening the door, she froze at the sight in front of her.

Levy walked slowly towards her desk, where a bouquet of red and orange roses was waiting for her.

She touched the petals gently, recalling from a book on flower meanings that she'd read years ago. Red roses stood for love and respect, while orange roses meant fascination.

Heart pounding, Levy glanced around the room for anything that might help her figure out who had (cough*broken into her room*cough) given her these.

Her eyes lit up in pure joy when she saw a single black feather below her windowsill, presumably having fallen off when her secret admirer had come in or escaped through the window.

 _Gajeel…_

As she processed what this _hopefully_ meant, she erupted in a bright red blush, grabbing a pillow and hugging it tightly as she tried not to squeal in delight.

(A few miles away, the Iron Dragon Slayer wondered nervously if Shrimp would like her surprise, not knowing that he had just given her the best Valentine's Day she had ever had.

Not that that was saying much, since she had always rejected Jet and Droy's advances, and they had always managed to scare off anyone else vying for the blunette's affections. Luckily, Gajeel wasn't easily intimidated…)

* * *

Lucy watched in awe from the window in the guild's library as the thunder and lightning raged across the sky, reveling in the cold air emanating from the glass. She gasped as the lightning lit up the sky yet again.

She glanced down for a moment, smiling gently as she saw a certain blue-haired Sky Dragon Slayer dancing happily in the rain outside of the guild doors, not bothered in the slightest by the freezing cold rain and roaring winds. And to think, it had been relatively warm earlier that day (for February, at least.)

If it was anyone else, Lucy would be worried for their safety, but there wasn't anything capable of besting Wendy in such an environment.

'Well, maybe Chelia.' She reluctantly reconsidered, remembering the pink-haired Sky God Slayer.

"What are you doing?" a gruff voice spoke up behind her. Lucy gasped quietly, spinning around towards the source, a key instantly appearing in her hand via Requip.

"Damn it, Laxus." She said with a relieved sigh once she recognized the much larger male, sending the key (Leo) back to her pocket dimension. "You need to start making noise when you walk into a room."

"Where's the fun in that, Blondie?" Laxus replied with a teasing smirk.

"Yeah, giving people heart attacks is always amusing." Lucy said cheerfully, intentionally ignoring the part of her that muttered that he was blonde too.

Laxus sweat dropped, not sure if she was joking. She might be more calm than most of his guild mates, but she was still a Fairy Tail mage.

He examined the Celestial Spirit mage, who went back to staring out the window, not seeming to notice his curious stare.

She was wearing black pants, a light blue cashmere sweater (gray tank top straps showing under that), and a white quilted jacket with a pair of gloves sitting beside her on the table.

His eyebrow rose when he noticed that her regular black boots were on the floor a few yards away, and she wore nothing but light blue socks on her feet.

"Why are you barefoot?" he wondered aloud, causing Lucy to glance back at him.

"Oh." She said, almost sounding surprised, like she hadn't even realized it. "It's more comfortable not wearing shoes, especially if I want to curl up on one of the armchairs in here."

"You're sitting at a table." He pointed out.

"I was sitting over there until I realized the storm had arrived." Lucy explained, shaking her head as she tilted her head towards the squishy-looking chair next to her boots. Her book bag was also there, so Laxus took her word for it.

"If you were so comfortable, why move?" Laxus asked, unsure why he was interested in the first place.

"I like storms." She said simply. "They're soothing."

A branch hit the window forcefully, belaying her words.

"Well, not always." She admitted ruefully with a giggle. "I don't know. I just like it when the weather is like this. I used to bribe Juvia to make it a rainy day when I wanted an excuse not to go on a mission, and she usually agreed because that meant that Gray didn't leave with us."

Laxus snorted in amusement. There was a reason that Blondie was considered the brains of that team.

They sat there (or stood in Laxus' case, having shook his head at Lucy's invitation for him to sit down) in a companionable silence for a while before Laxus spoke up.

"Thanks." He murmured quietly, causing Lucy to glance back at him.

"For…?" she asked curiously.

"Getting me back into the guild." He answered after a long moment. "If gramps was still the master, it wouldn't have been so easy, but Macao…he doesn't have that lingering disappointment that gramps does."

"Everyone makes mistakes." Lucy said thoughtfully. "From what I gathered, you had your reasons, and Master Makarov didn't bother explaining about why your father was kicked out of the guild, brushing off the issue and just telling you that he deserved it. Maybe if he had explained…"

"Maybe." Laxus shrugged, grimacing at the mention of his father. He had done a lot of introspection during his time of banishment from the guild, and had realized just how much his father had influenced his actions and opinions over the years, even in his absence. "A lot of it was resentment and bitterness towards the jerk himself."

"And you didn't realize that until later on." Lucy nodded knowingly. "I used to have abandonment issues after my mom died. Logically I knew that she wouldn't have left me if she had had any other choice, but my dad had basically abandoned me emotionally, and I only saw him once every few weeks. I realized later on that it was my father who those emotions were really directed towards. My father was still alive; he should have been there. It felt like both of my parents had died at once."

"My mother died in childbirth." Laxus told her, feeling obligated to do so after she had shared such personal things with him. "He always blamed me for it."

"Dads are the worst." Lucy said with a sad chuckle, eyes watery. "I'm a carbon copy of my mom; that's why he was never able to look at me once she was gone. It didn't help that I'm a Celestial Spirit mage like she was and that I inherited a few of her contracted spirits."

Laxus didn't say anything, since he knew that the whole Phantom Lord thing was caused by Blondie's father. What kind of man would kidnap his own daughter?

'What kind of man would shove a lacrima in his son's head in an attempt to make him stronger?' Laxus wondered sardonically.

"At least I had the opportunity to reconcile with him." Lucy whispered, still staring out the window. "He passed away about a month before you guys returned."

"Oh. Uh, sorry." Laxus muttered, awkwardly patting Blondie's shoulder. He'd never been good when he was faced with emotions, much less of the 'sad girl' variety.

Lucy giggled, patting his hand in thanks before turning back towards him. "It's okay. Our relationship was still awkward as hell, in the end, but at least I didn't hate him anymore, and he wasn't treating me as his property. He even helped us get it together financially."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before the Konzern went bankrupt, he built it from the ground up and made it one of the most successful businesses in Fiore." Lucy explained. "Actually…the reason it went under is because I refused to marry the son of one of his business partners."

"Tch, don't blame yourself for that." Laxus snapped, rolling his eyes. "If he was so great at business, he wouldn't have let it get to that point. Besides, you were under no obligation to marry someone for him anyway."

"I suppose that's true." She agreed with a smile. "Even if I hadn't run away and joined Fairy Tail, there's no way I would have agreed to it. I'm not going to marry for anything but love."

"Now I just have to find it." She muttered under her breath, unaware that the dragon slayer could hear her and not seeing him tense slightly.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Now that I think about it, with Itachi in the story, that black feather in Levy's room** _ **could've**_ **been from him since he can summon crows, but it wasn't.**


	21. Sold to the Highest Bidder

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or ANYTHING relating to the other characters.**

 **Note: This is significantly longer than the original chapter for this part, it includes more couples, and I did change what I took from the original parts, at least a bit.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"WHAT?!" the Fairy Tail girls screeched in unison.

Erza and Mirajane immediately started projecting murderous intent.

"Master…" Mirajane began sweetly. "While I'm _sure_ that it is not your intent, we do not appreciate being sold off like livestock to the highest bidder."

The sarcasm in her voice was barely perceptible, and Toph had to give the girl props.

Makarov sweat-dropped at the comment. After all, that was exactly what he wanted to do. And though he trusted Mirajane's restraint, Erza's eyebrow was beginning to twitch, a dangerous sign to all who knew her.

"No, it's not that at all!" Makarov hastened to assure the girls, raising his hands in an attempt to placate them. "It's…well, we're running low on cash again, and given the interest in the Miss Fairy Tail pageant, I decided that this would be the best way to raise money quickly!"

At _that_ , Lucy's eyebrow started twitching, causing Makarov to inwardly burst into tears.

"Try again, Master." The blonde demanded, crossing her arms. "Macao had me act as his accountant due to the training my father gave me when I still lived with him, and I _know_ we're not in financial danger, nor have we done anything that would have lost us that money. Unless there's something you would like to tell us…"

Silence.

Makarov was staring between Lucy, Erza, and Mirajane nervously, while the other girls were content to watch the drama unfold.

And begin to prepare revenge plans if Makarov didn't cower and give up this idea.

"Ah!" Makarov shouted suddenly. "I lost a bet with Lamia Scale's guild master, alright?!"

None of the girls looked impressed.

"If nothing else it'll give you a break from training?" he offered weakly, before yelping as most of the girls lunged forwards-

* * *

"I can't believe the old man managed to get you all to agree with this." Laxus said cautiously as he walked into the side room where the girls were waiting.

Gramps had wanted him to make sure that they weren't going to try and jump ship, though they didn't look like they were going to.

Good, because personally he didn't want to get in their way.

Mirajane smiled innocently. "Oh, it was no trouble."

"He just had to agree to be our training dummy for the next month." Erza said with a smirk.

Laxus' eyes widened, before he closed them with a sigh. "Just don't aim for anything too vital."

"We'll take that into consideration." The girls said in sync.

Laxus sweat-dropped, before walking out of the room, making sure not to turn his back on them.

Right.

He'd almost forgotten how much Fairy Tail girls (and female mages in general) differed from everyone else, since he hadn't been around other mages during his exile.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the newer Fairy Tail girls were just as terrifying (well, that girl Kozupii didn't seem too bad, but you never knew with girls).

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Oh well. Gramps deserved everything he had coming to him.

* * *

"Good evening, gentlemen!" Makarov greeted the crowd with a smile.

"There aren't very many gentlemen here, actually." Freed murmured, glancing around at the riff-raff inhabiting the guild hall.

Laxus smirked from his place beside him, having just gotten back from checking on the girls.

"Welcome to the first Bachelorette Auction Night!" Makarov said excitedly, eyes gleaming at the prospect of money for the guild and the sight of scantily clad girls.

* * *

"First up is the lovely Laki Olietta!" Makarov announced, as Laki jumped onto the stage. Her hair was done in a rather nice bun, with strands framing her face. She wore a white summer dress with a lavender sash and white heeled boots.

"What on earth…" Makarov muttered in confusion. That wasn't the outfit that she had been given to wear.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Laki asked innocently, faking concern.

"Not at all, dear." Makarov reassured, shaking his head a bit before reading off the card he had been given. "Laki is our resident Wood Make mage! Feisty, devious, and slightly sadistic, you do not want to mess with her!"

Laki waved at the crowd happily, amused as Makarov wondered who had changed his cards. He wouldn't have added that Laki was sadistic! And the clothing…

"Let's start the bidding at 10,000 Jewels!" Makarov announced.

Of all people, it was Erik (Cobra) that took the bait.

After taking a look at him and realizing that he was a dragon slayer from rumors, his pointed ears, canines, and the scar on his eye, the non-mages and mages alike decided not to go against him.

"Sold!"

"Dude!" Gray hissed. "You're engaged!"

"Really, I had no idea." Erik muttered sarcastically. "Kinana isn't participating."

Alzack nodded in agreement. Being in a committed relationship had also gotten Bisca out of it.

"Laki didn't want to do this, so Kinana told him to buy her for the night so they could all hang out with the old man paying for it." Rin explained.

"Whipped." Natsu coughed.

"Oh, don't even start." Erik warned. "Remember, I know who you like. I could easily let something…slip."

"You wouldn't!" Natsu gasped, glancing nervously at the girl only a few feet away. He wasn't subtle about it, but luckily she didn't seem to notice.

"I would." Erik said, before turning back to Rin. "I'm assuming you plan to make an offer for Kozue?"

"Yeah." Rin said with a sappy grin. He used to have a crush on Shiemi, but she had liked his twin, Yukio, and he had eventually realized that she didn't like him that way.

Kozue, however, seemed to like him back, if Cobra's hints were to be trusted. Sweet, compassionate, and beautiful, but she could also take care of herself. She was also more intelligent than he was, no surprise there.

Meredy spoke up, then. "I hope Kirito bids for Asuna and it doesn't turn out like last time…"

"That was funny." Jet admitted. He froze as he wondered whether or not Gajeel would act like that with him and Droy if he did end up with Levy. If she had to make a choice, it would be them, right?

Right?

* * *

"Next up is Levy McGarden, our Solid Script Mage! Considered the most intelligent person in the entire guild, Levy has a deep love for books, and she's the most loyal and forgiving person you could ever meet."

"30,000 Jewels!" Jet shouted before Makarov could continue.

"35,000!" Droy yelled.

"40,000!"

"50,000!"

"60,000!"

And on it went.

From the stage, Levy sighed in annoyance. Of course they would bid for her. She had rejected them both, seeing them as brothers more than anything, but they wouldn't get the hint.

"Poor Miss Levy." Pantherlily said from his place beside Gajeel.

"Shrimp can take care of herself." The Iron Dragon Slayer muttered, though he frowned at the girl's team members. The black and silver dress she was wearing had made him bite his lip longingly.

"Yes, but they might try to kiss her on this 'date'." Lily said. Gajeel's eyes flashed.

"Tch. She's rejected them before." He grumbled, clenching his fists uncertainly.

"This is an opportunity for them to convince her to give one of them a chance." Lily mused thoughtfully.

Gajeel growled lowly at that, looking ready to lunge at the pair of idiots, before freezing when Lily tossed a sack towards him.

"The hell…" he muttered, glancing inside.

Jewels. Specifically, Gajeel's savings. They would be more than enough to outbid the less interesting parts of Shadow Gear.

"You little shit!" Gajeel growled, realizing that his cat had been baiting him.

"Doesn't make it any less true." Lily said dismissively, leaning back in his chair.

'Besides, the poor girl's been trying to find a subtle way to thank you for the flowers…' he thought.

A few moments later, Levy beamed brightly as she went backstage after her turn. 600,000 Jewels!

She was met with her best friend, who ran straight to her and hugged her tightly.

"He finally made a move!" Lucy said excitedly.

The blunette had been so excited the week before when Gajeel gave her flowers, but this time the Iron Dragon Slayer had no choice but to stick around and deal with the consequences of his actions.

Not that Levy planned on making those consequences something that he would regret.

Levy nodded, biting her lip in an attempt not to squeal as she hugged back.

The other girls smiled at them, happy for Levy. That being said, most of them were blindsided when they were presented with the idea that the sweet and petite bookworm liked the rough and impolite dragon slayer.

Mirajane hummed the wedding march to herself happily, imagining black haired children with large hazel eyes.

* * *

"Mirajane Strauss, our lovely Demon Take Over mage!" Makarov announced, happy that the event was going well so far. It almost made up for the less revealing outfits, though he might still punish whoever had switched them out. "Compassionate and loving, but none the less willing to kick your ass if you threaten the people she cares about!"

The bidding went on for twenty minutes before Freed won for 1,500,000J. He had a substantial amount in his bank account, and seven years of interest helped.

Macao and Wakaba wept.

* * *

"Erza Scarlet!"

Jellal won, though the confrontation between him, Ichiya, and Nichiya would be legendary.

* * *

"Cana Alberona!"

Macao won, only bidding in the first place because he didn't want the girl's dad, Gildarts, to try and kill Makarov when he found out about this.

Fairy Tail's Ace wouldn't kill him if he just intended on hanging out with her and drinking like usual, right?

* * *

"Asuna Yuki!"

Kirito had learned his lesson, and immediately bid 500,000 Jewels. Other takers were discouraged that he was willing to bid so much from the get go, so they didn't bother, though there was some grumbling.

* * *

"Sinon Asada!"

Kirito and the other males who knew her well grimaced sympathetically for the poor sap who had won her. The Guns Mage was well-known for her hatred of most males, though Kirito was an exception.

* * *

"Charlotte Phantomhive!"

When she was called up, having been forced into wearing a frilly Victorian-era Lolita dress, those who knew _her_ also felt sorry for the poor sucker who 'won' a date with the half-demon. Not that they cared about that, but the other two half-demons in the guild weren't trained by one of England's best assassins to compliment said demon-half.

* * *

"Kozue Orihara!"

Rin did manage to win, but it was harder than he had anticipated, and he had spent much more than he had hoped he would have to. He groaned as he realized that he might have to eat nothing but ramen for the next few months.

Oh well. He still had enough money to pay for their date.

Besides, he just had to take a few jobs and he'd have enough to feed himself.

* * *

"Juvia Lockser!"

To everyone's surprise, Gray had bid on her, in part because he felt guilty that she'd gotten him a birthday present but he hadn't even known when hers _was_ until after it had passed.

Unfortunately for Juvia, however, he was outbid by Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale.

Needless to say, Gray was not in the best of moods after that.

And neither was Juvia.

* * *

"Toph Bei Fong!

She was won by a young man with dark brown hair, gold eyes, and a burn scar on his left eye. He wore clothes a bit similar to Toph's, but in various shades of red.

"Sparky!" Toph shouted excitedly when she heard his voice.

"Hey Toph, long time no see." The boy said with a smirk.

He had just happened to be on his way home from Crocus after meeting the King of Fiore for the upcoming Games when he heard about the auction, and figured he might as well get his friend out of it. Not like he didn't have the money.

Besides, he could put it down as 'travel expenses' once he got back home, which would make the council of advisors that seemed to think that they had much more power than they actually did reimburse him.

That's what the old coots got for trying to usurp his authority and bring back the time when the Fire Nation was trying to destroy Water and Earth, having already mostly destroyed Air.

He was the Fire Lord, damn it. _He_ was the one in charge.

And now he could put off dealing with them while he spent some time with a good friend that he hadn't seen in a while.

* * *

"Evergreen!"

The woman was torn between pleasure and dread when Elfman bid on her, while Mirajane sighed in despair.

In the end, she simply huffed and hid her face behind her fan, unsure if she was blushing or not.

* * *

"Lisanna Strauss!"

Mirajane was horrified when Bickslow outbid the others, winning a date with her sister.

For her part, Lisanna wasn't sure what to think, but she didn't particularly mind.

* * *

"Raven Roth!"

Out of everyone, the one who won her for a date was the most surprising.

Rogue Cheney, Shadow Dragon Slayer from the Sabertooth guild.

The only thing that kept the Fairy Tail members from attacking him was the fact that he had cried for Minerva to stop when she was torturing Lucy and that he hadn't personally antagonized them.

Nonetheless, that was a tense moment.

Raven herself was fine with the arrangement. She doubted that he would overstep boundaries, and she was curious about his magic. After all, her own also utilized shadows.

* * *

Itachi glanced around the guild hall lazily, taking in the occupants as they awaited the next girl. There were those who looked eager at this 'chance of a lifetime', those who were smirking arrogantly, looked desperate…

A rather diverse crowd. He could see all of the colors in the rainbow represented by their hair colors.

It was beginning to get loud, and honestly, he kind of wanted to leave, but he was hear at the request of one of his guild mates, and he intended to follow through…

 _Flashback_

 _Ultear strode up to the black-haired man munching his Pocky._

" _Hello, Itachi." She greeted, causing the man to blink at her._

" _Hello, Ultear-san…?" he asked slowly, gaze questioning._

 _Realizing that she had his attention, Ultear set a sack of Jewels on the table in front of him._

" _What is this about?" he frowned slightly._

" _I was wondering if you could make a bid for me at the action. I'm not asking for an actual date." The woman rolled her eyes a bit. "But Makarov blackmailed me into participating in exchange for leaving Meredy out of it. I don't want some creepy horndog trying to feel me up and not be able to give them a piece of my mind, so I figured I'd cheat a bit. I'd be paying for it, obviously."_

 _Itachi raised an eyebrow. This kind of attitude seemed familiar, somehow…_

 _(Thousands of miles away, a young woman with lighter purple hair than the woman currently in front of Itachi sneezed, blinking in confusion before shrugging and stuffing dango in her mouth.)_

" _I understand your reasoning, but why me?" he wondered aloud._

 _Ultear shrugged. "You didn't react at all when Master Makarov announced it, so I figured chances were that you weren't planning to make a bid for anyone."_

 _Itachi was silent for a moment longer, before nodding in agreement._

 _Ultear graced him with a smile (gratitude and relief showing in her eyes, she must_ really _be desperate not to leave the auction to fate), and walked away, leaving Itachi to hide away the Jewels._

 _A few minutes after she left, Itachi was struck by a sudden thought._

 _How did the Arc of Time mistress know that he hadn't reacted when Makarov announced it to the guild at large?_

 _He hummed to himself lightly, fingering the sack hidden behind his plain black cloak (the one he arrived him had red clouds on it, but for some reason he felt a barrage of negative emotions when he looked at it, so he replaced it.)_

 _Interesting._

He glanced up as Ultear's name was announced, and she came out dressed in a revealing purple dress with detached sleeves (AN: the same one she wore on Tenrou Island.)

Knowing how reluctant she was to be up there, Itachi caught the disgusted grimace as some of the men in the hall whistled and cat-called.

Taking a look at the men who were doing it, he could see why she was so disgusted by the prospect of having to spend the evening with them.

And so, when the bidding started, Itachi let a few people make their offers, before lifting his own hand and calling out an amount significantly higher than the rest.

Ultear, who had started to worry that he wouldn't make a bid, held back a sigh of relief as she saw him do so, before blinking in slight shock at the vibes coming from the calm man.

Such killing intent…she hadn't felt anything like that since she'd been in Grimoure Heart!

He didn't look like he was _actually_ going to kill anybody, though, still sitting there calmly. He was doing it to get her bidding over with faster, and to intimidate the other men into giving up.

When she realized this, she quickly brought a hand up to her mouth, stifling an uncharacteristic giggle when the other males quickly backed away and Makarov announced the Uchiha's winning bid.

Smart. She fully appreciated the deviousness of it.

Later on, though, once the event had ended and everyone had begun to leave, the red-eyed man shocked her by extending an invitation for the next evening.

Ultear gaped in surprise. "I—I thought…"

"The company would be appreciated, and this way my night being surrounded by hormonal fools won't be for nothing." Itachi explained with a tiny shrug. "Your freedom was cheaper than I had expected. I thought that someone would ignore the warning and I would be required to bid higher. Cowards."

The last word was muttered quietly, but Ultear heard it all the same, and laughed.

Some might be offended at the implication that saving a girl from what basically amounted to indentured servitude for the night would be a waste of their time if they didn't get anything out of it, but Ultear had dealt in murder and subterfuge. This was nothing.

Besides, he _was_ rather handsome.

"Tomorrow, then." Ultear agreed with a slight, bemused smile.

Itachi nodded in acknowledgement, before disappearing in a rush of wind, nothing but swirling leaves to indicate that someone had been there.

The purple-haired mage glanced at the leaves curiously. "Interesting. Seems he put those ninja scrolls Master Makarov, Lucy, and Levy found to good use."

And with that, she walked away.

* * *

"And last but not least, Lucy Heartfilia!"

Some of her friends around the hall bit their lips, realizing that since they had spent their money already, they couldn't save Lucy from a horrible date with a stranger.

Natsu was about to bid for her, regardless of the fact that it wouldn't actually be a date for them, when one of the most unexpected people spoke up.

"1,000,000 Jewels." Laxus said nonchalantly, ignoring the startled looks from his guild mates.

"Well this is an interesting development." Alzack muttered.

"1,100,000!" another voice spoke up. Sting Eucliffe.

"1,200,000." Laxus countered, narrowing his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Rogue hissed, grabbing his partner's arm.

"I followed you." Sting answered, annoyed. "You were keeping secrets."

"Fro thinks so to." The little green Exceed in the frog suit said happily, reaching up towards her partner, who gathered her into his arms.

"I wonder why." Rogue muttered with a sigh as he noticed that the Fairy Tail males were gearing for a fight, not that he could blame them. "Sting, it would be best if you left."

"Gimme a minute." The blonde muttered back, having an idea. The girl up for grabs was beautiful, but from the few times he had met her, he knew that she wasn't for him. That being said, he could mess with the guy that did want to go on a date with her. "1,300,000!" he shouted.

Rogue sighed, before moving away. Best not to get caught in the crossfire if there ended up being a brawl, and with Fairy Tail's reputation, it was practically guaranteed.

"1,500,000." Laxus glared.

"1,600,000." Sting said with a smirk. Realizing that Sting might be going too far, Lector went to join Rogue and Frosch. While he had every confidence that Sting could beat the other guy in a fight (though no one else would agree with that opinion), they were more or less surrounded by Fairies.

"2 million." Laxus said firmly, standing up as lightning danced around his muscular body.

Sting's eyes widened, realizing that he had bitten off more than he could chew, before he high-tailed it out of there.

Rogue shook his head. He would take the two Exceeds to a local hotel before going on his date with the mysterious beauty that he had been lucky enough to 'win.'

* * *

Lucy stood on the stage in shock as she witnessed the events.

" _Laxus_ bid for me?" she whispered, eyes wide.

"You're rather lucky." Evergreen said, adjusting her glasses. "The weird guy from Blue Pegasus and his cat were about to bid for you. That's why Laxus started so high. He already knew their limit from when they tried to win Erza."

Lucy let out a breath, realizing that she had dodged a bullet. Well, more like Laxus had shielded her from it, but the point still stood.

Seeing the blonde girl relax, Evergreen smiled slightly behind her fan.

As if that was really the only reason Laxus bid for her!

Yes, she knew what the Thunder God's stares meant. Call it women's intuition! Though that wouldn't explain the Heartfilia girl's obliviousness to his attraction for her…

Oh well. Someday in the near future, they might have a Thunder Goddess!

About time that spot was filled.

* * *

"Oh!" Wendy gasped as Laxus punched the other blonde male in the face. "This is more dramatic than I expected. I'm glad I'm not down there!"

The 'and being auctioned' part was left unsaid, but not unheard.

"So am I." Romeo agreed, before thinking privately. 'I don't think I have enough money to win a date with you, but hanging out is probably better anyway. Less pressure, stress, money, and—(he cringed as Natsu and Gray joined the fight) pain. Definitely less pain.'

* * *

From the rafters at the top of the building, Ryder and Jack sat next to Toothless, who was hanging from the wooden beam like a bat.

"Man, am I glad I'm not a girl." Jack muttered.

"Or attracted to one of them." Ryder agreed, tossing some popcorn in his mouth as the two boys and their reptilian companion watched the chaos below.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it. While you guys don't seem to mind my 'romance' scenes, they really aren't my strong suit, and I'm almost never satisfied with them.**

 **I think this is the longest chapter I've written for this story OR the original version.**


	22. Dates part 1 of 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or anything related to any of the other characters in this story.**

 **Note: I'll get back to the exhibition matches and then the Games after the Dates chapters, bear with me.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Mirajane was humming happily as she prepared to go to bed.

Her date with Freed had been amazing. He was a perfect gentleman, was intelligent, funny when he wanted to be (though he had more of a dry humor), wasn't bothered in the slightest about her magic, and was rather handsome to boot!

He had taken her to a beautiful Italian restaurant, where they ate outside and were right at the edge of the lake. It was a very intimate atmosphere, lacking anything but the food, music (which was playing quietly), and view to distract them from each other. Freed's eyes hadn't wandered at all (not that she thought that he was the kind of man who would do that), and conversation flowed effortlessly. No awkwardness at all.

When a slow song came on, he had stood up and offered his hand, asking her if she might honor him with a dance. He didn't try anything inappropriate there, either. When the dance ended, he bowed, and she curtseyed in return.

When he returned her home and bid her goodnight, he kissed her hand, like she had read about in her romantic novels.

Some girls would be disappointed that their date didn't try to make more of a move, but not Mirajane!

As a model, she was very used to men throwing themselves at her. Why, even Wakaba flirted with her. She was constantly bombarded with love confessions and grand gestures that didn't mean anything, but in her mind, actions spoke louder than words.

And she knew that Freed didn't do or say anything that he didn't mean.

Had she finally found someone that could love her for who she was? Not the model, or the demon, but as Mirajane Strauss?

She dearly hoped so.

* * *

Toph's mouth dropped open in pure astonishment as she realized where Zuko had taken her.

" _Earth Rumble VI?!"_ she yelled in shock.

The underground Earthbending tournament that Toph had participated in while she still lived a sheltered life with her parents, who treated her as a helpless porcelain doll.

This had been her sole taste of freedom before she met Aang and the others.

Zuko smirked slightly. It wasn't often you caught Toph off guard, despite her so-called handicap.

"The King of Fiore doesn't mind their presence as long as no one dies." The Firebender explained, recalling his meeting with the man in question.

Toph blinked slowly, processing that. "How had I not heard of this before now?" she _did not_ whine, thank you very much!

With that, an older guy with tan skin, long black hair, and a green combat outfit walked up to them. "You still have a reputation, Bandit. Figured we'd give someone else a chance until you cottoned on."

Toph smirked. It had been a long time since she'd been called that.

"Any openings?" she all but demanded.

Zuko had seen this coming a mile away.

"Your current champion is about to lose his title." The young Fire Lord 'helpfully' pointed out.

The man sighed in resignation.

Needless to say, Zuko was right.

Twenty minutes, a destroyed stadium, and seven opponents later, the crowd was cheering Toph's alias.

* * *

Yui Kirigaya tilted her head thoughtfully as she saw Miss Levy and Mr. Gajeel stare at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.

When momma and papa had dropped her off at the library for story time, the last thing she expected was to see the two Fairy Tail mages there.

Why were they here, anyway? Weren't they supposed to be on a date?

After thinking for a moment, she shrugged.

Miss Levy was happy, and Mr. Gajeel was perfectly fine with just watching the girl read.

Still…

Yui started humming a soft tune from one of her favorite Disney movies.

Levy glanced up curiously as she heard a soft sound coming from Yui's mouth, and her eyes shot up as she recognized it.

'Is that…from Beauty and the Beast?" she wondered, recalling the lyrics.

 _Belle:  
There's something sweet and almost kind  
But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined  
And now he's dear and so unsure  
I wonder why I didn't see it there before_

 _Beast:  
She glanced this way, I thought I saw  
And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw  
No it can't be, I'll just ignore  
But then she's never looked at me that way before_

 _Belle:  
New and a bit alarming  
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?  
True that he's no Prince Charming  
But there's something in him that I simply didn't see_

The blunette felt her face redden as she realized what was going on. She had forgotten that Yui was an empath, and could sense Levy's feelings for the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Levy absentmindedly wondered if she was working with Asuka, Bisca's daughter, because the other little girl had orchestrated a kiss between Kinana and Erik the other day right in the guild hall.

That wouldn't normally turn heads, considering they were engaged, but the pair did appreciate their privacy and rarely did any public displays of affection.

Ah well. Maybe Levy should have a talk with the young empath about meddling in things…

If Gajeel liked her, then she wanted him to come out and say it of his own accord.

This date was a nice step in the right direction, though.

Gajeel frowned, slightly confused as he watched Shrimp's face get red.

His own cheeks got a pink bit as he wondered if she could feel him staring at her, and it embarrassing her.

…Still, even if that was it, that didn't mean he would stop.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **The next chapter will probably be longer. I know Mira's date didn't change at all, but I said that this was a re-write and I would be adding and changing some things, not that I would re-write _everything._**

 **Yeah, Gajeel took Levy to the library for at least part of their date. Which reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, when Beast 'gave' Belle his library, and she ended up teaching him how to read again. Hence the song. As for the rest of the date, you can use your imaginations, I guess. Just picture Levy as shy and embarrassed but pleased, and Gajeel embarrassed, pleased, quiet because feelings aren't his strong point, and clumsy attempts to compliment Levy.**

 **Toph and Zuko's 'date' was longer than what I wrote, too. They've been close friends for years, and it's not awkward for them, so they're just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. They got something to eat, caught up, maybe did the Ding-Dong Ditch thing they did in the original... Maybe I'll make them an official couple in the story later on, maybe not. At the very least don't ask me to pair him with Katara, Mai, Ty Lee, or anyone else. He's not exactly a major character in this.**


	23. Dates part 2 of 4

***opens door…***

 ***slowly peeks head inside***

 ***glances around and sees nothing***

 ***opens door all the way and walks in***

 ***is immediately pelted with wads of paper, quickly becoming buried in them***

…

 ***fake Umbridge cough***

 **Hello, people!**

 **Sorry, I guess this story's been on an unofficial hiatus. I got caught up in the Naruto fandom (if any of you guys are interested, I now have a few Naruto stories in progress) and I** _ **have**_ **been writing for some of my other stories that I hadn't updated in forever, and this one…yeah.**

 **Anyway.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters not** _ **from**_ **Fairy Tail, because they're all either from something else (all but one) or an OC of mine still from another series (Charlotte Phantomhive.)**

 **Oh, and I just noticed that this re-write is already more popular than the original, with a fair number more followers and favorites, and exactly 1 more reviewer (which I thought was funny.) Thanks for the support, everyone! Especially those of you who take the time to review after every chapter. You guys deserve better than to have to wait for me to get my ass in gear and update.**

 **Warnings: …AU? LaLu, GaLe, Jerza, EverElf, and a few other pairings. Crossover, obviously. Some yaoi, and of course spoilers.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Erik stared up at the ceiling, feeling his brain turn to mush as he listened to his fiancé and her best friend talk about things that he wasn't interested in the slightest.

He wished he could just ignore them, but unfortunately his Sound Magic made that impossible, and the dragon slayer enhanced hearing didn't help.

Seriously?

He was _Cobra_ , former Dark Mage with the Oracion Seis, one of the top three greatest dark guilds under the Balam Alliance, right up there with Grimoure Heart and Tartaros!

What was he doing listening to girls talk about some sale at the mall?

As soon as he thought it, he deflated.

There was a _reason_ he had chosen to retire, and it wasn't because it was a condition for his release into Fairy Tail's custody.

He did it for Kinana, his _Cubellios,_ his constant friend and companion.

And he wouldn't trade her for the world, even if this inane chatter and gossip did makes his ears feel like they were about to bleed.

…Yeah. Some former dark mage he was.

Ugh, he was getting soft.

At least Ultear and Meredy were in the same boat. And that Itachi guy (and wow, mind-reader or not Erik hadn't seen his bid on Ultear coming) had apparently been a criminal back wherever he'd come from.

Jellal didn't even count, the bastard.

* * *

Rin Okumura, Son of Satan and former Exorcist-in-training, looked nothing like the dignified and trained warrior that most would except of someone of his 'status' as a Prince of Gehenna (or Hell, in certain circles.)

His half-brother Mephisto Pheles would probably make a joke at his expense, and his other half-brother Amaimon, broccoli-headed freak that he was (AN: I actually love Amaimon, don't kill me), would probably stare at him blankly, sucking on his ever-present lollipop, and steal his sword again just so he could unsheathe it and awaken Rin's powers.

Again.

Or pull on his tail. That had hurt, damn it!

Anyway, back to the point.

Rin was noticeably nervous as he glanced at his date. Things had been going so well, but then he glanced at her, and she was surrounded by a halo of light, and he lost his train of thought.

Kozue Orihara was, without a doubt, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Smart, too, and one of the sweetest people in the world, probably.

And…she was blushing.

Oh, right…telepath.

MIND-READER.

A moment later, Rin's face turned a deep red and he wished that Amaimon, the Demon King of Earth that he was, would have mercy on him and open up a hole in the ground to swallow him up.

Alas, it was not to be.

Knowing just how embarrassed her date was, Kozue smiled shyly, wrapping her arms around one of his as she pulled him to their next destination.

He had decided to take her to a fair in the next town over, which apparently was a really good choice. Kozue had been bullied when she was a young child, and had never gone to this kind of thing because she had no one to go with.

Rin had never been to this kind of thing either, come to think of it. He did have a twin brother he could go with, but Yukio was more serious and didn't really like this kind of thing. Not only that, but their adoptive father Shiro hadn't really had the money to spare.

Or at least that's what Rin had believed, before finding out that Shiro had been a Paladin for the True Cross Order, which hunted demons. Luckily, Shiro had seen the humanity in Rin and had refused to turn him over.

And he really needed to stop thinking depressing stuff.

With that, he turned his full attention back to Kozue.

The two had gone on all of the rides, and Rin was pleased to discover that Kozue was fearless, and actually seemed to _prefer_ the thrill rides. Could this girl get any more amazing?

Apparently she could.

The two had competed against each other in the fair games. She won him a goldfish, and he won her a keychain. She then won him a small stuffed cat that looked sort of like Kuro, and so he won her a slightly larger panda plush. And on and on it went.

To most people, trying to one up each other would get annoying, but they had fun competing. Fairy Tail mages knew better than to take this kind of thing too seriously. They were more amused by the people running the stands' frustration as they constantly beat the rigged games.

They shared some deep-friend Oreos, cotton candy, and the other cliché fair foods.

Kozue suddenly squeezed his arm, gesturing towards the Ferris wheel excitedly.

'Please?' she projected, using the dreaded puppy eyes technique. 'I've never been on one.'

And who could (or would) say no to that face?

* * *

Erza was absolutely delighted when Jellal brought her to Magnolia Park to find a picnic with a straw basket, red and white checkered blanket, wine, and everything. A moonlit dinner under the stars?

This was already a rather romantic setup, but for a girl who had never been on a picnic and had always wanted to have one, it was even better.

They spent their night catching up as much as they possibly could, at least the things that they couldn't say in front of anyone else.

Jellal told her about how he was dealing with his guilt, what it had been like living with Lucy, stories about things that had happened with both her new and old friends during the past seven years, and how he was slowly reconciling with Millianna and the rest of their friends from the Tower of Heaven. They knew logically that Jellal hadn't been in control of himself, but emotionally there were a lot of broken bridges that needed to be fixed or rebuilt.

Erza told him about what she had done during the years where Jellal was possessed and acting as Segrain. Her intense rivalry with Mirajane, how everything had seemed to change after Lisanna's supposed death, what it was like on Tenrou Island when they realized that the S-Class Exams were over, and that they had much bigger things to deal with: Grimoure Heart, Zeref, Acnologia…

What it was like being attacked and then 'wake up' seven years in the future, the world around you so very different than how you left it (to what felt like only a few days) while you had remained unchanged.

It was a long, emotionally trying night.

But they needed it.

The beautiful picnic relaxed them enough that they could finally talk about their shared past without chickening out.

This was their chance to move on.

Their chance to start anew.

* * *

There was very little difference in Sinon and Charlotte's dates, as the two girls would later discover.

The boys were arrogant, insulting, and cheap.

But the worst part was that they were both misogynists, which infuriated the two proud girls. Feeling superior was one thing, but outright _saying it_ and then trying to cop a feel?

Needless to say both boys quickly became acquainted with the girls' weapons, a pair of pure black katana for Charlotte and wicked-looking daggers for Sinon, who didn't think that they were worth pulling her longbow or sniper out.

Listening to the two friends talk about what they had done to their 'dates' as punishment, the Fairy Tail males shuddered, making a note to NEVER piss them off.

They were both proficient with close-combat weapons, but Sinon favored her guns, and Charlotte had been the apprentice of England's top sniper for years.

They could kill you in the blink of an eye, and you would never even see it coming.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **And that's part two. I promise I'll try not to take so long to update again.**


	24. Dates part 3 of 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own…Fairy Tail, Naruto, Teen Titans, How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians, Chaos;Head, or anyone from any other anime/book/movie/whatever I missed.**

 **Warnings: same as always.**

 **Okay.**

 **I am SO sorry I haven't updated this story in so long. What was it, early August or something? I won't bother to check, but it was probably sometime around there.**

 **This story hasn't been abandoned, I promise.**

 **I've just been trying to figure out how to finish off these damn dates!**

 **Most of them I can keep the same, since I already wrote them in the original version, but the one that's stumping me?**

 **Ultear and Itachi.**

 **I have NO IDEA what those two might do for fun. They're so serious. Itachi just travels and walks a lot in Naruto, and Ultear is similar, going around Fiore with Crime Sorciere on missions. All of my ideas for them were just…out of character. And the fact that they're not even sure whether it's a date or not just made it worse.**

 **Anyway. I tried my best. Pretty sure it's going to disappoint, but for what it's worth, sorry.**

 **Note: All of the dates but the last two are taken straight from the original version of this, no changes.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"So…" Lisanna ventured, walking beside Bickslow.

"Yeah…" the Seith mage muttered. "Well, this is awkward."

"Well, we'll just have to work on that, won't we?" Lisanna asked brightly. "Let's see…I've always been kind of curious, do your dolls have names?"

Bickslow grinned. It wasn't often that someone asked about his babies, and the girl didn't seem creeped out by them.

They spent their evening walking around Magnolia. To some, this would seem like a rather boring date, but to the pair who had been gone for seven years, it was interesting to see all of the things that had changed.

When Bickslow took her back to the house that she shared with her siblings, she waved goodbye with a smile. If nothing else, she had made a new friend.

* * *

Cana, Macao, and Wakaba had fun bringing out a barrel of wine that had been in the cellar since before the Tenrou incident. It was decades old at this point.

Needless to say, Cana was the last one standing after finishing off the barrel.

Macao was just glad that she had nothing to complain to her daddy about, so hopefully Gildarts wouldn't kick his ass for daring to make a bid for her.

Still, what he wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when Gildarts eventually found out about it and went after Makarov.

* * *

"So what did you want to do?" Asuna asked sweetly, hands clasped behind her back.

"Well…" Kirito began awkwardly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced to the side.

"You don't have any ideas, do you?" Asuna asked.

"No!" Kirito yelped slightly, holding his hands up in surrender. "I do. It's just…"

"It doesn't matter what it is, I'm sure I'll love it." Asuna assured him, extending a hand.

"I hope so." Kirito said with a grin, taking her hand. Geez, her skin was soft…

With that, he led her home.

Asuna raised her eyebrows in shock when she saw their dining room.

A delicious meal stood out before them, and of course there were a few candles in the dimly-lit room. Yui was already sitting at the table, awaiting their arrival.

"What is this?" Asuna gasped, surprised.

"Well, you always make amazing things with your cooking, but I never returned the favor, so I thought that I would cook for you!" Kirito said with a grin. "I made the food right before the auction, and Yui wanted to help, so she set the table and made sure the heating lacrima kept the food hot."

"You didn't know you would win the auction." Asuna muttered breathlessly.

"As if I'd let anyone else take you on a date!" Kirito scoffed, before muttering more quietly. "Not again…"

Asuna teared up, and Kirito freaked.

"I-if you don't like it we can always—" he began, but Yui jumped out of her chair before hitting him gently on the head.

"Silly daddy." She said with a cute giggle, before pulling her mommy to the table.

Kirito snapped out of his surprise, and managed to pull out Asuka's chair before she sat down, pushing it in and earning a watery smile in return.

"This is perfect." Asuna said warmly, wiping away her tears.

It didn't quite count as a date, with Yui there, but…

Their family was together. What could be better than this?

* * *

Anyone who knew Evergreen would faint in shock if they saw her.

Anyone who knew that she was on a date with Elfman would wonder what the hell he was thinking, bringing a woman like her to a place like this.

Not that they were anywhere inappropriate, mind you. No strip clubs, bars, or anything like that.

Instead, he'd brought her to a monster truck rally.

Evergreen really hadn't known how to react when she had seen the sign on the large stadium he had taken her too.

Should she hit him with her purse? Storm off in a fit? Scream at him in fury?

Elfman decided for her, pulling her along as she was trying to decide on a course of action. The next thing she realized, they were at the concession stand, and he was asking her what she wanted, wallet in hand.

Not _if_ she wanted anything, but _what_ she wanted.

And he was fully intending to pay for it, looking at her expectantly.

Well, she could hardly say 'nothing,' instead choosing a bottled water.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, paying for it and handing it to her before leading her to their seats.

It was rather cathartic, she mused, glancing at the gigantic trucks and musing that with all of his bulk, if Elfman ever wanted to drive he'd probably need to use one of those.

And before she realized it, Evergreen was cheering with the rest of the crowd.

Elfman grinned at her, and when a worker came up the stairs to offer more snacks, he saw her nose twitch in interest at the smell.

Doing his best not to react (geez, that was adorable), he waved the other guy over and bought a few things.

"Hey Ever, what's your favorite soda?" he called softly.

"Coke." She answered absentmindedly, automatically, not paying any attention at all.

Until a few moments later when Elfman handed her a cup, straw already in place.

She blinked down at him where he was sitting on the chair (when had she stood up?), only to see him grin at her and offer up a soft pretzel, which must have been what she'd smelled earlier.

Evergreen smiled slightly, sitting down and tearing off a piece of the snack, dipping it in the cheese sauce before taking a bite and motioning for Elfman to do the same.

And so they shared it. Along with the cotton candy and popcorn they ended up getting later.

Of course, once they'd left the stadium, Evergreen realized how friendly she'd been acting, _smiling_ and _laughing_ , and not mockingly like she usually did. She was even wearing a t-shirt he'd bought her at one of the stands.

Embarrassed, she slapped Elfman with her fan (though not nearly as hard as usual) and insisted that next time, she would choose where they went.

Elfman was too (inwardly) pleased at the prospect of another date to mind.

* * *

Itachi and Ultear had been walking around town for hours.

The dark haired woman glanced at the man thoughtfully, wondering why he had bothered to ask for her company if they weren't going to even do anything.

Still, the silence was nice. Companionable. A nice change from the chaos of the guild hall.

And maybe that was the point, she realized.

From a few feet away, Itachi's eyes softened slightly as Ultear's face showed her realization at what he was trying to do.

Ultear was a very busy and _stressed_ woman.

She was one of the more mature mages in the guild, and one of those who helped with damage control when everyone else went overboard. That along with doing missions with her team so her and Meredy could afford their rooms at Fairy Hills and to try and fight back against the dark mages…

Well. Some peace and quiet would do her some good.

Especially since she was too stubborn to schedule a vacation for herself. He'd also noticed her rolling her eyes when Meredy and Juvia made plans to relax at a spa, so he figured she wasn't the type to relax that way.

So how could he help her with that?

By keeping her company as they did something that always helped him relax and keep a cool head.

And as she closed her eyes, gently breathing in the scents around them, a gently smile on her face, Itachi realized that his plan had worked.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Thought I'd put a little more detail in the EverElf date. Hope you guys liked it!**

 **Like I said, Itachi doesn't do much but walk to places. And fight when the situation calls for it, but this situation** _ **didn't**_ **call for it, so instead they're being unoriginal since I had Lisanna and Bickslow go on a walk too, though they were more energetic and adventurous about it.**


	25. Dates part 4 of 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING or ANYONE from this story. Even my OC Charlotte isn't entirely original because even though she isn't an actual character from Kuroshitsuji I still wrote that she comes from that universe.**

 **Warnings: spoilers for pretty much every series involved, and everything else mentioned previously.**

 **Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. No excuses, I've just been feeling lazy and unmotivated. And I just finished re-reading this and the original version to get back in the groove of things.**

 **Also, Laxus and Lucy's date is different. This time I forgot to do the whole 'Laxus gets an Exceed egg' as a gift from the others, so the egg isn't there to hatch. Honestly, I might not even bother with Astoria. She was hardly a huge part of the original story, so I didn't really get attached to her. And I think Laxus would freak out about being referred to as 'dad,' much less Astoria calling Lucy her mom from their very first date.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Raven hummed to herself as she took a sip of her favorite tea blend and thought about her outing with Rogue Cheney, Sabertooth's Shadow Dragon Slayer…

And the man who had bid on her during Master Makarov's little perverted money-making scheme. Never let it be said that the old man didn't know how to multitask.

Anyway, Raven was unbothered by the nineteen year old's admittedly handsome features, which, to his credit, _he_ didn't seem to give a crap about either. And he had kept everything completely appropriate during their date, never looking lower than her face or expecting anything from her like Charlotte and Sinon's dates probably had.

(AN: Raven and Rogue's date started after the other two's 'dates' had already ended.)

Rogue had taken her to a small used bookstore, which apparently doubled as a coffee shop, and they explored for a while before having a light lunch.

He had asked her about her favorite books, actually _listening_ when she told him about them, and even offered his own opinion on some of them that he had read.

He had seemed genuinely interested in what she thought, contentment in his eyes even when the two of them debated on things they disagreed with in the books, and Raven had been stunned to realize that she was also interested in his thoughts and opinions.

She…wasn't used to that.

Did it make her a bad person if she said that that wasn't usually the case?

Not that she didn't care at all, it was just that she held a firm belief that everyone was entitled to their thoughts and opinions and as such she had never bothered to share her own (or at least not on things like this) or ask for anyone else's.

But with Rogue, she wanted to find out more about him.

Raven couldn't decide whether or not she liked Rogue in a romantic sense (and wasn't sure how he felt about her either, despite the fact that their outing had technically been a date that he actually _paid_ for), but she could definitely see them becoming good friends, at the very least.

* * *

Juvia stared into the distance thoughtfully with a frown before Lyon gained her attention.

"So, there we were, about to face down with 50 monsters, and I managed to—" she tuned the white-haired man out again.

Was that rude?

Most likely, but she couldn't quite bring herself to regret it.

She had realized over the course of the evening that her assumption that Lyon was fighting her for Gray-sama's attention was false.

No, the Lamia Scale mage wanted _her_ attention.

Fighting _Gray_ for _her_ attention.

Such a strange world they had come back to.

But despite Lyon's persistent attempts, Juvia wasn't going to give into his advances.

No, her heart was taken by a _dark-haired_ Ice Make mage, not the white-haired on in front of her.

She doubted that she would ever stop loving Gray, but even if he firmly rejected her and she managed to survive the devastating heartbreak and find a new love, it would NOT be Lyon Vastia.

He was just so boring!

The man had been boasting about his (and his team's, but focusing on his) accomplishments since their 'date' began, and hadn't stopped talking since.

Juvia was self-aware enough that she knew that she herself went on and on about Gray's best aspects (which in her opinion were all of them), but Gray himself didn't boast outside of guild brawls or when he was fighting Natsu.

And even though Juvia was trying to gain his love, she didn't boast about _her_ accomplishments, talents, or looks, either!

Lyon was just…too vain and proud for her.

Lyon's heart clenched painfully as he noticed mid-story that the beautiful Juvia's dazzling blue eyes were slightly glazed over.

He had noticed her boredom before, but he had thought to try and entertain her by proving that his guild, Lamia Scale, had people just as amazing as those in Fairy Tail and that it was just as eventful there…

In an attempt to get her to leave the other guild and join his, admittedly. And if he embellished the fights and his own involvement in them, who would it hurt, really?

Him, apparently. And his chances with Ame on'na (Rain Woman).

Though if he was honest with himself she hadn't responded to his advances before, either.

What was it about Gray that entranced the blunette to such a degree?

Why was he always second place? First Ur, and now Juvia…

He wanted to be the main prize, not the crappy consolation because she couldn't have her first choice.

Maybe…maybe it was time for him to move on and find someone who could return his feelings.

Later that night, as he returned Juvia to the Fairy Hills dormitory, not even bothering to try for a goodnight kiss, he nodded at her with a sad look in his eye as she smiled awkwardly at him and closed the door.

And then he wished her the best with Gray and turned away, walking back towards the city.

Even if he couldn't have her, Juvia deserved to be happy. And he knew who could give that to her.

He had a clothing-challenged friend to beat some sense into.

* * *

Lucy blinked in surprise as she saw where Laxus was leading her.

"Magnolia Planetarium?" she asked with a grin.

He grunted. "Figured you'd enjoy it. And I might learn something new."

"Oh, I'll make sure of that." Lucy said with a laugh and a slight smirk. "Prepare to be bombarded with information, Laxus."

Seeing the glint in her eyes, Laxus sighed. "Just what have I gotten myself into?"

"Nothing you won't enjoy." Lucy said with a thoughtful hum, pulling the larger man with her towards the building. "But astronomy is kind of my thing, so…I could probably go on for hours."

Laxus coughed awkwardly at the (probably) unintentional innuendo, too surprised to notice Lucy's blush as she realized that what she had said could be taken in a different way than she had meant it too.

"Um…" she started, still a bit red. "Let's just pretend I didn't just say that, okay?"

Laxus nodded, grinning to himself as he heard her mutter quietly that 'she was a published author, dammit, she was supposed to be good with words!'

The Lightning Dragon Slayer looked at her fondly, reaching out to ruffle her hair and ignoring her protests.

If she didn't want him to mess with her hair then she shouldn't be so damned cute.

Twenty minutes later, the two were inside and had looked around a bit before Lucy noticed a sign saying that there would be a presentation in the attached theater.

"Oh!" Lucy gasped excitedly, grabbing Laxus' hand and pulling him in the direction the arrow on the sign indicated. "Come on! I've always wanted to see one of these!"

Laxus grunted in surprise, but allowed himself to be lead into a large dark room that looked like a regular movie theater.

Until he noticed that the screen wasn't flat or at the front of the room, but reached from the floor to above their heads.

The two blondes sat down on the reclining seats, managing to get seats a ways away from anyone else (which Laxus was glad for, with his heightened senses), and within seconds the show began.

Laxus' eyes widened in wonder as the screen above his head lit up, and unbeknownst to him, Lucy noticed and grinned at him smugly.

And so they spent the next half hour learning (in Laxus' case at least) about some of what the universe held outside of Earthland.

Laxus had only ever felt so small when he was kicked out of Fairy Tail, but this…this was different.

This was a good kind of small.

Besides, small didn't mean insignificant.

He glanced at Lucy, another miniscule being in an infinite universe.

Maybe they could be small together.

* * *

Two hours later, the pair exited the building, both of them feeling more relaxed and content than they had in weeks.

"That…was more interesting than I thought it would be." Laxus admitted slowly.

Lucy grinned at him. "I told you that you'd enjoy it."

Laxus smirked slightly. Honestly, the funniest parts of the evening were when Lucy grumbled about her spirits when their constellations were mentioned.

Honestly, most of her spirits sounded more than a little weird.

Maybe that explained Loke...Leo…whatever. Or had Fairy Tail made him like that?

"Anyway, we should come back sometime." Lucy continued.

Laxus raised an eyebrow at her, amused.

And she looked right back at him with her large brown eyes, not flinching or blushing. Yes, she knew what she had implied, yes, she meant it, and now she was waiting for a response.

His response.

Which he should probably give.

"That sounds fun." He said. "Maybe a concert, at some point."

"Oh, yeah, you're always listening to music." Lucy said with a smile, glad that they had agreed that there would be more 'outings' in the future. "What do you listen to?"

"Classic rock, mostly, but I'll listen to pretty much anything." Laxus answered, pulling out his music player and turning it on before handing it to his date.

Lucy blinked in surprise before taking it and perusing his music library. "Ooh, I like this song. Wow, you really do have a little of everything on here."

"I've spent a lot of Jewels buying music for that thing." He admitted.

"I can imagine." Lucy agreed, thinking about how much she had spent on books over the years. "Hobbies can get pretty expensive."

And hundreds of songs? Yeah, that would cost a bit more than pocket change.

The duo spent the next few minutes talking about their favorite bands and artists, and comparing their experiences at live performances, which differed greatly, since most of Lucy's had been while she lived with her father (and mother before that) and it was classical music.

When they eventually came to the house that Lucy had bought and living in with Jellal until the blue-haired former Wizard Saint had moved out, the pair wasn't sure what to do.

Until one of Lucy's gold keys glowed and a figure appeared, shoving Lucy into Laxus before disappearing again.

Laxus blinked, looking down at the girl in his arms.

"Who was it?" she asked with a slightly resigned tone, having seen the gold glow.

"The mermaid." He answered.

Lucy scowled. "Figures."

And then the two noticed that Laxus hadn't let go, and Lucy hadn't pulled away.

They stared at each other for a moment before Laxus chuckled and lowered his face, meeting her lips with his…

* * *

Aquarius smirked smugly as she watched the scene from her home in the Spirit World.

"Tch." She muttered. "It's about damn time that girl got a boyfriend."

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Finally, the date chapters are over! Seriously, that's the hardest part to write. Now I can finally move onto the next part!**

 **By the way, Raven is nineteen in this, the same age as Rogue, Sting, Mirajane, and Erza. I introduced her pretty early on in the 7 years part, but she joined shortly after her sixteenth birthday. For those of you familiar with DC or the Teen Titans cartoon, you can guess the events surrounding her getting to Earthland.**


	26. Exhibition Match: Jura vs Toph

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone but my OC Charlotte, but even she originates from the Black Butler series.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ready for today, Luce?" Natsu asked his friend with a toothy grin.

Lucy smiled innocently in return. "Of course! It should be pretty fun, ne?"

"Fighting is always fun!" Natsu agreed with a laugh, before his eyes dimmed slightly. "Well, maybe not always…"

"Friendly battles are fun." Lucy said calmly, knowing that he was thinking of all the times where they and their friends had almost lost their lives.

After all, that was where her mind had gone, and believe it or not her and Natsu were occasionally on the same wavelength, as scary as that was.

"Yeah." Natsu agreed, smiling genuinely again.

* * *

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, HUMANS AND NON-HUMANS, MAGES AND NON-MAGES ALIKE!" Max coughed awkwardly, realizing that he'd gone a little too far before mentally saying 'to heck with it' and continuing to scream his introduction into the microphone. "Welcome to the 17th Fairy Tail Exhibition Match event!"

The thousands of people in the crowd screamed their approval, all of them extremely excised for the three matches that were about to take place.

Jura Neekis versus Toph Beifong, Lucy Heartfilia versus Natsu Dragneel, and Erza Scarlet versus Mirajane Strauss?

These fights might very well go down in history.

And even if they didn't, they would still undoubtedly be talked about for decades to come.

* * *

"Come on, old man!" Toph shouted with a large grin, eyes closed as she faced her opponent.

Not that she could actually see him.

Jura let out a booming laugh, appreciating the young woman's fighting spirit, before launching his first attack: Iron Rock Spikes.

* * *

"What on Earthland?" Freed asked in awe, wide-eyed as he watched his guildmate manipulate the solid Earth beneath and around her in a single fluid movement, easily countering Jura's attack. He noticed that the girl didn't say her attacks out loud, and she also wasn't using magic circles. "How is she doing that?"

"She doesn't use Earth Magic, she uses Earth." Lucy answered with a delighted and proud smile as she watched her friend hold her own against one of the Ten Wizard Saints. "Basically, she _is_ Earth. Just like Juvia is Water."

Juvia's pretty blue eyes lit up from where she was standing a few feet away.

For years, all throughout her childhood since the moment her magic had manifested itself, she had been called a freak by everyone around her.

The reason she had joined Phantom Lord was because the former master Jose _hadn't._ Juvia hadn't even cared that he wasn't a good man, she was just happy that someone had finally accepted her and her magic for what they were.

Still, Fairy Tail was much better than Phantom Lord had ever been, even before they became a borderline-dark guild.

"Toph-chan developed her Seismic Sense technique herself, correct?" Juvia asked the blonde girl.

Lucy hummed, nodding in agreement. "Yes. Now that I think about it, a lot of people have probably tried to duplicate the skill since it became common knowledge, but I don't think anyone managed. I don't know if it's because they use Earth magic instead of Earth, or because she has the advantage of her other senses being heightened to compensate for her lack of sight."

"Both, perhaps." Juvia tilted her head thoughtfully, blue curls dancing in the slight breeze. "Many have also tried to copy Juvia's Water Body, and they have all failed. Juvia would bet that the Earth mages would fail as well."

"Most likely." Lucy agreed. "You two definitely have a stronger connection with your elements that most regular elemental mages do, that's for sure."

Juvia smiled proudly, before the two women turned their full attention to the match.

* * *

Jura grumbled a bit as his opponent dodged yet another one of his attacks.

Despite the fact that the Fairy Tail mage was mostly playing defense, she had managed to land a blow on him, while he couldn't say the same.

And then she struck.

Jura's eyes widened anxiously as large columns of solid earth came speeding at him from every direction, too quickly for him to stop it or gain control of the rock for his own use.

He fled underground, managing to dodge the attack, but in his haste he had forgotten one very important thing about Toph.

He didn't realize it just yet, but with that action, he had already lost.

* * *

Toph smirked as she felt Jura burrow underneath the surface of the arena, disappearing to everyone who was watching.

Luckily for her, she wasn't limited by sight, and she had literally grown up in underground tunnels with the Badger Moles of the East, the first Earth users.

She easily kept track of Jura's movements, and just when he was about to spring up from the ground, remembering her abilities and realizing that he was in danger, she stomped her foot forcefully.

A moment later Jura shot up, not of his own accord, but held in a tight grip by a fist made of solid rock. He tried to cast another spell to escape and overwhelm her, but he couldn't manage to free his limbs enough to do so.

A projector lacrima appeared in the space above their heads (though Toph obviously couldn't see it) and showed a ten second countdown, anticipating either Jura's escape or Toph's victory.

It was at six seconds when Jura conceded his defeat.

"And the winner is: Toph Beifong!" Max announced, screaming himself hoarse in his excitement as the crowd went wild.

* * *

"That was amazing!" Wendy said breathlessly, wide-eyed as she stared at the black-haired girl down in the arena triumphantly punching the air.

"Wasn't it?" Romeo agreed with a large grin from the seat beside her.

"She is certainly skilled." Carla commented, impressed even though she still thought the girl was too rough to be a good influence on Wendy. Then again, Toph was quite confident, which was something that Wendy could use more of…

"She made S-Class three months after she joined Fairy Tail." Romeo said, admiration evident in his voice.

Wendy and Carla gaped, and Romeo used the distraction to wave over one of the people walking up and down the stairs of the stands selling snacks, buying water and cotton candy for each of them.

"Oh, thank you." Carla said in surprise when the boy handed them theirs. Wendy herself blushed before thanking him quietly.

"You're welcome, Miss Carla, Wendy." Romeo said with a kind smile.

"What is this?" Wendy asked after a moment, sampling her treat. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"It's called cotton candy." Romeo explained, taking a bite of his own. "Be careful, it's a bit sticky, and it'll get worse if you lick your fingers to try and get it off."

"Noted." Carla responded, appreciating the warning as she tried it herself.

"Not bad." The white Exceed decided, before glancing at theirs. "Why choose pink for yourself?"

"Eh?" Romeo asked in confusion, before glancing down at the sweet in his hands. "The blue and pink don't taste any different." And then he seemed to get what she was really asking. "Oh! I don't mind pink. I always thought the whole boy/girl color thing didn't make any sense. That, and I figured blue suited Wendy better than it did me."

Carla smiled approvingly, eying Wendy as her face turned slightly—you guessed it—pink.

Trying not to call attention to her red face, Wendy giggled as the cotton candy stuck to her fingers. "You know, it's kind of like I'm eating air!"

"Really?" Romeo asked thoughtfully. "So this is kind of what it's like for you? I always wondered."

"W-what do you mean?" Wendy asked, blushing again. He had wondered about her?

"Oh!" This time Romeo had a blush to match hers. "Well, when you first joined the guild, I was really curious. I'd seen Natsu eat fire for years, and then Gajeel with his iron, but I couldn't really imagine what it would be like to be able to eat something that you're constantly inhaling. Do you have to do something different so that you eat instead of breathe? Do you sometimes 'take a bite' by accident when you don't mean to?"

As Wendy explained her powers to a curious Romeo, Carla glanced at the two thoughtfully.

'At least this one has some manners.' She thought with a slight sigh, realizing that the two kids might end up together in a romantic sense at some point in the future.

'And good taste.' She added, taking a bite of her own pink cotton candy.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Hope you guys liked it!**

 **Note: Toph's last name is Beifong, not Bei Fong as I've been writing it. I'm not going to go back through every chapter and correct it, but I will try to write it correctly from now on.**


	27. Exhibition Match: Natsu vs Lucy

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone but Charlotte Phantomhive (my Black Butler OC), Vulpecula, and Nick, celestial spirit of the Phoenix. I think those are the only OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters**

 **Hey guys!**

 **I got a review asking for a list of the crossover characters in this story, so here it is! I** _ **think**_ **I got them all…**

 **Avatar: The Last Airbender:** **Toph Beifong; Zuko, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Oppa, Momo at the Games**

 **Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji** **: Charlotte Phantomhive (OC half-demon), Elizabeth Midford (Charlotte's mom, very talented swordswoman), and Mey-Rin (her tutor, former sniper and assassin) at the Games**

 **Blue Exorcist:** **Rin Okumura (half-demon Son of Satan) and Kuro (cat sidhe/demon) in the guild; Yukio, Shiemi, Bon, Izumo, Shima, Konekomaru, Shura, Mephisto Pheles, Amaimon, and Angel at the Games**

 **Chaos;Head:** **Kozue Orihara aka Kozupii**

 **How to Train Your Dragon:** **Ryder (real name Hiccup Haddock III) and Toothless, Astrid, Valka (Hiccup's mom), Stoick Haddock (Hiccup's dad), Snotlout (his's cousin), Fishlegs, Tuffnut & Ruffnut at the Games**

 **Naruto:** **Itachi Uchiha, probably Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake, etcetera at the Games**

 **Ouran High School Host Club:** **Haninozuka 'Honey' Mitsukuni (the celestial spirit Lepus the hare) and Morinozuka 'Mori' Takeshi (the celestial spirit Lupus the wolf)**

 **Rise of the Guardians:** **Jack Frost, minor characters Sophie and E. Aster Bunnymund from chapter 10**

 **Sword Art Online:** **Asuna Yuuki, Kazuto 'Kirito' Kirigaya, Yui, and possibly other characters later on**

 **Teen Titans** **: Raven Roth (half-demon, became a superhero, traveled dimensions to get to Earthland)**

 **And there you go!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Next we have Natsu Dragneel, Fire Dragon Slayer and Fairy Tail's infamous Salamander, up against the lovely and talented Lucy Heartfilia, the Aurora of the High Heavens!" Max announced excitedly.

He smirked as he heard the Tenrou Group snicker to themselves when Lucy got more applause than Natsu did.

Oh yes, Lucy had become quite popular over the years. It helped that she rarely destroyed anything, or at least anything important.

The twenty-four year old in question walked up to the center of the stadium the guild had rented out, and some of her old friends were a bit surprised at what she was wearing. Not because it was something weird, but because it was more fit for combat than anything else they'd ever seen her wear.

She wore a gray tank top, loose black pants, and black running shoes. She wore a black leather jacket as some added protection in case she was thrown into something, and her usual gold heart necklace.

Natsu, on the other hand, wore his usual clothes.

He grinned at her. "Ready, Luce?"

"Yes." She answered with a smile, hand ready so that she could requip a key (or three) the moment their battle began.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted excitedly as the gong rang, signaling that they could start.

He immediately sprang forwards with fire surrounding his fists, wanting to get too close to Lucy for her to use her whip, only for Lucy's body to disappear the second he came close.

"Eh?!" he shouted, startled.

* * *

"What?" Erza asked, intrigued.

Toph grinned, knowing that she was the only one who could tell what Lucy was doing. Or part of what she was doing, at least.

* * *

Indeed, the moment the bell had rung, Lucy used the time that it had taken Natsu to use his usual 'I'm fired up' catchphrase to summon Virgo and Vulpecula, the former immediately taking her underground and the former casting strong illusions to trick Natsu into thinking that she was still on the surface.

Virgo began working on a digging a tunnel system under the battlefield as Lucy took a light pen out from her pocket and began writing a few rune traps as the human and celestial spirit waited for Natsu to take a wrong step.

"Come on, Lucy!" Natsu protested from above, body tense and straining his senses in the hopes of finding out where she was hiding. "Come out and play!"

In response Lucy requipped another key, which glowed for a second.

"Natsu Dragneel…" the pinkette heard a voice from behind him, and he turned to see a man with red and gold hair, gold eyes, and tanned skin staring at him thoughtfully.

"Who're you?" Natsu asked rudely.

"I am the celestial spirit of the Phoenix…" the man answered. "Lucy-hime nicknamed me Nick, however, so feel free to use that name."

"Great." Natsu said with a scowl, knowing the phoenixes were creatures of fire. Then he decided that he might as well launch and attack. "FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"

He was only slightly surprised (and a lot bummed out) to see that the spirit hadn't gone back to the Spirit World, unharmed as the dust settled.

'Maybe if I overwhelm him?' he wondered, launching into a barrage of punches and kicks as the spirit dodged him gracefully. 'Depends whether he's immune to fire or if he's just nullifying my attacks…'

* * *

Erik smirked at the Fire Dragon Slayer's thoughts, interesting in how he thought during fights since their own fight when Natsu's mind had gone blank to counteract Erik's magic so he could land a hit.

Warren, on the other hand, was shocked.

He had only gotten into the practice of reading people's minds when he didn't actually need to when Cobra and Kozupii joined the guild, since they had both been surprised that he hadn't taken advantage of such a useful ability, and so he'd never heard Natsu's thought process when he was fighting.

Natsu…actually had some skill analyzing his opponents, he didn't just attack and hope for the best.

Good to know.

* * *

Natsu grimaced at the celestial spirit emerged from their one-sided battle unharmed from the flames, though at least the Phoenix had a few bruises. After all, Natsu's fire wasn't the only thing from his attacks that hurt.

"Luce, just get on with it." He muttered quietly, carefully eyeing his surroundings while keeping tense in case Nick attacked him while he was distracted. "I know you're up to something…"

"Ask and you shall receive." Lucy's amused voice said from behind him, and Natsu turned his body halfway around (so he could still defend himself from the phoenix if needed) to see her standing there with a smile, dirt on her clothing.

"Fight me yourself." He said with a pout.

"I am." Lucy informed him with a teasing grin. "I power the attacks of my spirits while they're in our world."

"You know what I meant." Natsu said, wrinkling his nose.

"Why should I?" she asked. "You haven't so much as come near me, much less land a hit. I could easily lead this to a draw by letting the timer run out…"

Natsu scowled, lunging towards her…

Only to have the group collapse, bringing him down.

"The hell…" he muttered with a groan, trying to get out from under the rubble.

It didn't work, and it got worse when a rune trap appeared.

"Virgo and I didn't just hide while we were down there." Lucy explained with a satisfied grin.

Natsu growled. "What're the rules?"

"You're compelled to answer any question I ask of you, and obviously you can't escape." Lucy explained with a shrug. "But that's not the interesting part…"

"Eh?" Natsu asked warily.

Lucy smirked as Nick stepped behind her. "It's impossible to lie in the presence of a phoenix, so you'll be forced to tell the truth. The trap will disappear once you've surrendered to me."

Natsu's eyes widened in shocked surprise.

* * *

And so did everyone else's.

"I've never heard of a celestial spirit that could do that." Makarov said thoughtfully.

"Neither have I." Freed and Levy, two of the smartest people in the guild, said in unison, and Levy burst into giggles as Freed continued. "And she used my magic, Jutsu Shiki, too…I will admit, I did not see that coming."

"She learned a lot while you all were missing." Jellal said quietly from his place behind them, where he was relaxing with Erza before her own battle.

The Tenrou Group smiled sadly at the reminder that they had missed so much.

* * *

"Damn, go Lucy." Gray muttered, impressed. "Chose the one condition Flamebrain won't meet…"

"Love Rival has Gray-sama's attention!" Juvia cried silently.

Gray sweatdropped. "You do remember she's with Laxus, right?"

Not that he wanted to encourage her, he thought uncomfortably.

…Geez, hopefully Lucy would never catch _him_ in front of Phoenix. He suddenly felt a lot more sympathy for Natsu.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Juvia!" Cana reassured her as she threw an arm over the Rain Woman's shoulder. "This is a battle, _all_ of us have our attention on them!"

"Juvia supposes so…" the blunette murmured, still pouting slightly.

* * *

"Not happening." Natsu refused, thinking (well, hoping) that it was a joke and that she would let him go so that their battle could continue.

"I was hoping you would say that." Lucy said with a devious grin.

Suddenly the rune barrier appeared in full, so that people besides Levy and Freed (and Natsu, since he was inside) could see it. It flashed pink before Natsu was forced out from under the debris, levitating in the air.

"Damn it!" Natsu whined as he tried to get down. His magic was no help in this situation. "Put me down!"

"Not a chance, this is something I'll probably never have the opportunity to do again." Lucy scoffed, knowing that all Natsu had to do when faced with Phoenix in the future was keep quiet and he wouldn't be forced to tell the truth, whereas now the runes were making him give an answer.

"Shit." Natsu groaned.

"I should charge people to have me ask you questions." He heard her mutter to herself before she shook her head. "No, the time would run out too quickly. Anyway, first question…oh, this way you can prove to Cobra that dragons exist! Did the fire dragon Igneel really raise you?"

"Yes." Natsu answered truthfully, relaxing slightly. That wasn't bad.

He smirked slightly as he heard Cobra curse in the background.

"Question two: who in Fairy Tail are you most afraid of?"

"At the moment, you." He answered. "Damn spirits…"

Lucy snickered. "Aside from me?"

"Erza." The answer was immediate.

The Tenrou Group face-faulted. He had faced _GILDARTS_ during the S-Class exams, with the mage scaring the hell out of him with the full brunt of his power, and he was _still_ more scared of Erza?

Even Evergreen, who had a healthy fear for the redhead after their fight in the Battle of Fairy Tail, was skeptical at that.

"Question three." Here, Lucy looked honestly curious. "Are you really as oblivious to girls as you act?"

* * *

Mirajane squealed happily when Natsu answered 'no.' There was hope for him yet!

"Well I could have told you that!" Erik scoffed. "When we first fought he thought up a dirty joke to test my Sound Magic!"

A majority of the guilds' mouths dropped in shock.

"He knows what a dirty joke it?" Bickslow asked in surprise.

Erik nodded. "It was a good one, too."

* * *

"I thought so." Lucy mused thoughtfully, glancing into the audience at the girl she was fairly sure Natsu had noticed. His first real crush, since it sounded like even the thing with Lisanna was mostly her. "Question four: who do you like romantically?"

"Not you." Natsu grit out.

To which the blonde rolled her eyes, completely unbothered. "A name, Natsu."

Natsu's eyes widened in horror as he felt the runes try to force an answer out, knowing that he couldn't lie because of the spirit still standing behind Lucy.

Damn. No choice, then.

"You win!" he said hastily.

"Thanks!" Lucy said with a smile, immediately dispelling the runes (Natsu floated down gently) so that the answer wasn't forced out of him despite his surrender. It wasn't like she didn't already know, anyways. "But seriously, you should tell her at some point before someone else wises up."

* * *

"And in an interesting turn of events…" Max sounded all too amused, in Natsu's opinion. "The victor is Lucy Heartfilia!"

The girl in question blew a kiss to the crowd as they cheered (and catcalled), quietly gesturing at Virgo so that the maiden would refill the tunnels she had created, and the spirit bowed before doing so.

* * *

Mirajane pouted at the proof that NaLu would never happen. There went her OTP.

…Not that Laxus and Lucy weren't cute together. She'd just forgotten that in the heat of the moment.

She froze in realization, glancing at Lisanna, who was staring down at the arena thoughtfully.

Lisanna had had a crush on Natsu for years before she was thrust into Edolas and everyone in Earthland thought she had died.

Were those feelings still there? Was she the girl Natsu liked?

But she had had fun on her date with Bickslow, so maybe she had gotten over him…

Oh, if only Natsu had given her a name to work with!

* * *

Meanwhile Ultear was being bombarded by dozens of people requesting to buy a copy of the fight from her, since she had been tasked with using her magic to record it.

She sighed forlornly, only to feel a powerful aura from behind her and turn around.

Itachi, calm as ever but projecting his chakra, staring past her.

Glancing back forwards, she saw that the people had run away.

And she smiled.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **This was a fair bit different than the original fight. Vulpecula was brought out (she wasn't in the original story at all) to make Natsu think Lucy was still there when he first attacked her, Phoenix was the reason Natsu was forced to tell the truth instead of the runes forcing him too, and Lucy asked a few more questions.**


	28. Exhibition Match: Erza vs Mirajane

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or an** **ything but Charlotte Phantomhive, Vulpecula, or Nick/Phoenix.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy's eye twitched.

Silence.

She fidgeted slightly.

Silence.

"I'm sorry, okay?!" she groaned, feeling a little creeped out at Natsu's petulant stare.

The pinkette pouted. "Seriously, though?"

"I already said I was sorry." Lucy sighed, turning to him. "I found out during your guys' absence that Mira had a long-term plan to get us together, and she wouldn't give up even though Levy told her it wouldn't work out. I wanted to nip that idea in the bud just in case she tried to separate me and Laxus so she could get us together."

Natsu grimaced at the very idea, but wasn't sure that Mirajane _wouldn't_ try that. She was rather known for being rather persistent when it came to the people she shipped together, after all.

"She-Demon." He sighed, resigned. "Still, did you have to throw me under the bus?"

"Better you than me." Lucy said with a shrug. "And it would've happened eventually. You were lucky that you managed to feign obliviousness for so long so she wouldn't target you sooner."

Natsu scowled, realizing that his nonexistent love-life would soon get a lot more eventful if Mirajane had anything to say about it.

"Though, I get why you don't want her interfering." Lucy said, leaning back against her chair as she stared up into the sky. "My father was always talking about choosing a husband for me, like I couldn't choose for myself, and the 'suitors' he chose were always people who would help him with the Konzern in some way or another. I'm glad I managed to avoid Mira's matchmaking schemes because though I love her dearly, I don't need anyone trying to manipulate that particular aspect of my life…"

Unbeknownst to the pair (Natsu because he was too bummed out to notice the scent), a certain white-haired barmaid and S-Class mage was right around the corner, listening to their conversation.

At first she had been annoyed that Natsu's oblivious act was apparently to trick _her_ in particular, but then she heard Lucy's reasoning, and she had to smother a gasp of horror so that the Fire Dragon Slayer wouldn't realize that they had an audience.

She had known that Jude Heartfilia had hired Phantom Lord to bring Lucy back to him so that she would marry someone, but she hadn't even considered the fact that she herself had also been planning to more or less force Lucy into a relationship with Natsu.

She wouldn't have actually broken up Lucy and Laxus, of course, but admittedly she had been pretty sure that they would break up at some point and NaLu would prevail.

Until Natsu declared his own lack of romantic affection for the blonde Celestial Spirit mage.

…What a mess.

Her own guildmates, her _friends_ , didn't trust her not to try and interfere with their lives, and she didn't blame them.

She took a deep breath, hearing Max's announcement that her battle with Erza would begin in five minutes, and continued on her way down to the arena to prepare for the fight.

But her mind wandered.

Maybe she should only actively try to help people's love lives along if they _asked_ for it, instead of just doing it and assuming that they would thank her eventually.

* * *

"And now…for the event that many of us have been waiting for years to see…S-Class mages and old rivals Erza 'Titania' Scarlet against Mirajane 'She-Demon' Strauss!" Max screamed at the top of his lungs.

When the gong sounded, however, the Sand mage immediately ducked for cover.

Smart man.

* * *

The two women stared at each other, not moving a muscle.

Dark blue eyes met brown.

Mirajane smiled prettily, and Erza raised an eyebrow.

Very few in the crowd could follow what happened next.

One second they had been standing still at opposite ends of the arena, and the next they were locked in close combat, Erza in her Heaven's Wheel armor and Mirajane using her Satan Soul Takeover form.

As if the looks on the two beautiful women's faces weren't terrifying enough, the power behind the blows when one of them managed to land a hit made everyone cringe in sympathetic pain, hoping that they would never be hit by either woman (except Natsu, of course.)

And this was supposed to be a friendly battle, too.

Then again, Erza never had understood the concept of 'holding back,' as Lisanna and Juvia could attest, and Mirajane apparently had no issue matching her intensity.

* * *

Makarov whimpered pathetically as he watched the two most powerful women in Fairy Tail (or at least the two most powerful before the new members had joined up) duke it out at full-power.

Oh, the property damage…

His head slumped onto the railing. 'The paperwork…'

* * *

"This is going to end in a draw, isn't it?" Lucy murmured, watching the battle closely.

Both of her friends were heavily bruised and slightly bloody, as was to be expected. Both were rather determined to win, however, which was also expected.

"I believe it's time to finish this." Erza observed, changing into her Purgatory armor, which she considered her most powerful requip. She expertly wielded the huge spiked mace with one hand.

"Yes, let's." Mira agreed, glowing for a moment before appearing in her Satan Soul: Halphas form.

Her appearance was that of a demon with a light blue color scheme. Scales on her arms and legs that took the appearance of armored boots and gloves with fins, long horns with the ends causing her to have blue scales on her face. She wore a light and dark blue one-piece that exposed most of her belly, cleavage, and upper back, and two light blue angel-like wings.

* * *

"STOP THE FIGHT!" Makarov screamed in panic as they made to attack again.

The two girls paused in their movements, turning to look at the small man.

"What's wrong, Master?" Erza asked with a frown, ignoring Macao mutter to himself mutinously. "A winner has not yet been declared."

"There won't be anyone _to_ declare a winner if you two keep this up!" Makarov cried. "There's a reason I banned Mirajane from using that Takeover. She destroyed an entire city in seconds. And pair that with your Purgatory armor…"

"Oh!" Mirajane gasped in a deeper than normal voice, suddenly transforming back into her normal Satan Soul form. "I apologize, Master. I got caught up in the battle."

Likewise, Erza changed into her Black Wing armor.

"May we continue?" the redhead asked hopefully.

"Um…maybe some other time." Makarov sweat-dropped as he took in the utterly destroyed battle grounds, though the stands at least had been warded so the audience wasn't in any danger. "I hope this place is insured."

"It is!" Wakaba called out. "We checked!"

* * *

Toph huffed in annoyance.

"What's wrong?" Rin asked curiously.

"I didn't get to see the match." She complained.

"You're blind, though." He pointed out, confused. "Isn't that kind of…expected?"

He yelped when Meredy punched his shoulder.

"She meant seeing using her magic, doofus." The pinkette explained, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, Toph. Most of it took place in the air…"

Toph sighed. "Story of my life."

Rin and Meredy glanced at each other in confusion at the strange comment, but decided not to ask.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	29. A Starry Night

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything but a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Makarov's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he read the letter that had just arrived.

Not knowing what it meant, he went to Macao to ask if he knew what it was.

"Eh?" the aging purple-haired man asked, setting down his beer before picking up the paper and reading it. "Oh, this again. It's for Lucy."

"Lucy?" the newly-reinstated guild master asked curiously. "What for?"

"Ongoing job as a lecturer for the local school." Macao explained. "Once a month or so she takes the kids out at night to go look at the stars, and if any of her spirits' stars or constellations are in the sky she'll bring them out."

"The kids love her." Wakaba muttered around his cigar.

Makarov smiled, feeling the familiar burst of pride for one of his children.

"Somehow I'm not surprised." He said softly, thinking about Laxus' relationship with the girl.

Smart, beautiful, talented, and compassionate…well, he could be forgiven for hoping that the girl would stay with Laxus and eventually give him some grandbabies.

She'd make one hell of an edition to their gene pool…

* * *

"Lucy!" Makarov called a few minutes later, causing everyone in the guild to look up briefly.

The blonde glanced up at him with a slow, confused blink (she looked rather tired) before wandering over to him.

"Yes, Master Makarov?" she asked with a smile.

Makarov smiled back. "You've been requested—again, I'm told—by the local elementary school for a field trip tonight."

"Oh!" Lucy perked up, regaining a bit of her energy. "That's perfect, then. I was trying to think of a way to justify a nap at this hour, and a night of stargazing is the perfect excuse."

Makarov chuckled sympathetically. "I'll just send a confirmation, then. I take it you know the details?"

Lucy hummed in agreement.

"Well then have fun, child." The white-haired man said with a smile, dismissing her so that she could go back to her friends.

* * *

"Lushee, what was that?" Happy asked, hoping that it was something that he could tease her about. She wasn't nearly as easy to anger these days as she used to be (maybe because he hadn't flown her anywhere and had a reason to call her heavy), and he kind of missed it.

"I have a job tonight." Lucy explained with a pleased smile. "A fun one. I think so, anyway."

"What is it?" Happy asked, confused.

"The local school asked me to go stargazing with the kids tonight." She explained. "I'll give a short lecture, point out a few things, maybe summon a spirit or two, and that's it."

"That does sound fun!" Wendy sighed wistfully.

"I usually bring Romeo, Asuka, and Yui with me." Lucy said with a grin. "You and Carla are welcome to come along. And of course you are too, Happy."

"Oh, yes, please!" Wendy agreed with a wide smile, happy that she would be able to spend more time with her Lucy and the others.

"It does sound like a worthy venture." Carla approved, nodding to indicate that she would come as well.

The blue Exceed, however, slumped slightly. "Sorry, Lucy. I promised Natsu I'd go on a job with him later."

"That's okay." The young woman chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his blue fur. "Maybe next time."

And then she turned to Wendy and Carla. "It usually lasts about an hour and a half to two hours, starting at 11 o' clock, and we meet up at the big hill that overlooks the city. Dress warm, it gets cold at night even during the summer. I'll be back here at 10:45 to pick up Asuka and Yui, and Romeo will probably meet us there."

"Got it." Wendy nodded.

"And now…" Lucy yawned widely, covering her mouth. "I need a nap. See you tonight!"

* * *

Wendy closed her eyes in bliss as her and Carla reached the peak of the biggest hill in Magnolia. Cold air surrounded her from all sides, but it didn't bother her in the slightest.

Sometimes it was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Here in the semi-wilderness it was far calmer.

"I haven't seen the night sky like this since I traveled with Mystogan." The Sky Dragon Slayer said with a small smile, thinking of the man she thought of as an older brother, even though they were now literally a world apart.

"Best view in town." Romeo said softly, nudging his friend on the shoulder in solidarity. Obviously he also knew what it was like to lose someone, so he could sympathize.

"It's so pretty!" Asuka gasped, staring in awe at the dazzling lights on the dark blue blanket of night.

"It's very pretty." Lucy agreed. She picked the purple-eyed girl up, Asuka automatically wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulder and looking to where Lucy was pointing. "Can you remember which star that is?"

"Ooh, I know!" Yui giggled from her place at Lucy's opposite side.

"Polaris!" the two young girls said together.

Lucy smiled proudly, hugging Asuka closer when the four year old shivered slightly, Romeo zipping up Yui's jacket when she did the same.

Wendy smiled at their interactions, sad and wistful thoughts gone, before picking up Carla and walking to where the blankets were set up.

* * *

Wendy giggled as Yui and Asuka ran around in the grass, trying to catch little balls of white fire that Romeo had conjured.

"My white fire is harmless, I promise." Romeo had assured her and Carla when they got nervous about the two younger girls getting hurt.

It was rather cute, actually, two giggly girls stumbling around, occasionally tripping over each other as they attempted to catch the makeshift fireflies.

Whenever Romeo saw one of the girl's hands close around the fire he extinguished it, which would've horrified the girls if they didn't know that they were actually just Romeo's fire (the first time they'd done this had been an experience no one wanted to repeat), and the girls moved on to the next fireball.

Suddenly, one of the white fireballs came to rest on her knee, and she startled slightly in surprise.

"Deep thoughts?" Romeo asked with a grin.

Wendy giggled slightly. "Not particularly. Just glad to be here."

Romeo smiled softly. "We're glad to have you back."

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **I decided not to do the 'Lucy gets a job offer while doing this job' thing. What kind of owner of a large business like Sorcerer's Weekly would offer a mage a job writing for them while they're doing a different job for someone else? That, and I'm not actually sure Lucy would want to write horoscope-like stuff. She writes stories, not articles about the Zodiac stereotypes.**

 **Evilkitten3: Hope I didn't make the RoWen interactions too bad in this chapter. :)**


	30. Uniforms and Headbands

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone but a few OCs listed in previous chapters.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Toph blinked in surprise as she was handed a bundle of cloth. "Um…what is this?"

Makarov hummed, passing out similar bundles to the rest of the group before answering with a smile. "That, my dear, is your uniform for the Games!"

"Why?" Raven asked, using her telekinesis to levitate the clothing in front of her, not wanting to touch it. "We've never worn uniforms for the Games before."

"Because our dearest Master is a pervert." Lucy mumbled darkly, glaring dangerously at the short skirt and low cut top.

The females glared at the short man at that little piece of information, and Jellal backed away from the others slowly, not wanting to get involved.

"At least Kozupii and I probably won't need to wear it…" Meredy murmured, glad that she'd been chosen as one of the reserves.

"Oh, but you'll need to try them on to make sure it fits!" Makarov insisted, dancing in his mind.

'I don't particularly mind it.' Kozue admitted with a shrug and an easy smile, causing Charlotte, who also didn't mind her outfit, to nod in agreement. 'Still, mine is probably the least revealing…besides Jellal-kun's at least.'

Jellal hummed in agreement, glancing at his own uniform, which…didn't include a shirt. He glanced at Itachi's outfit, and didn't see a shirt there, either.

Realizing that, he glared at the Master too.

Makarov chuckled awkwardly, holding a hand up in surrender. "Just wanted to set Fairy Tail apart from the rest. And I figured wearing uniforms would be a good show of solidarity, especially since it's not just people from Fiore competing this year…"

"OR…" Lucy began, smiling sweetly as she knelt to Makarov's level before putting on a dangerously blank expression. "You allow us to sort out our own uniforms, if we absolutely _must_ have them, and we'll take your ideas into consideration. Otherwise I might just call Mira in here…"

"No!" Makarov shouted, sweating anxiously at the thought of the woman who had beaten him up the most for the recent auction. "No, dear, that won't be necessary. I must insist on a uniform, however. Your colors will be dark purple and cream, while Team B's will be dark purple and gold…Have fun!"

Once the man was gone, Lucy's teammates snickered.

"Anyone want to bet Team B will refuse to even wear uniforms?" Meredy asked, causing them all to shake their heads.

"That was more amusing than it had any right to be." Jellal admitted before frowning, glancing back at his own uniform. "I'll need to get a shirt for this…"

Itachi grunted in agreement, glancing at his own uniform.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want anyone other than Erza seeing your chest." Meredy teased, causing Jellal to blush slightly and start tickling her.

Lucy and Kozue giggled over the sounds of Meredy begging for mercy as Toph snickered and the others shook their heads in thinly-veiled amusement.

* * *

"Much better." Lucy said contently, examining her new and (in her opinion, which was the only one that mattered since she'd be the one wearing it) improved outfit.

She had adjusted the Master's design for the top, making it a tank top instead of corset-like as it had been (purely for comfort and practical reasons, as corsets were too tight to move well in) and exchanged the skirt for black pants and the boots for sneakers. Her whip and keys were, of course, in her Requip space.

"I can't tell the difference." Toph said with a shrug, feeling around her own outfit. It was nearly identical to her battle outfit (the one she usually wears in Avatar: The Last Airbender) except in dark purple instead of the earthy green color. Her sweatbands were also dark purple, and each one had the Fairy Tail mark in the same cream color as the rest of her outfit.

Charlotte glanced down at her own outfit. Formfitting black jeans, a dark purple shirt, a leather jacket over it, and black heeled boots. Her sword was in it's usual place at her hip, and her hair was in a high ponytail.

She hadn't particularly minded the other uniform, but that didn't mean she hadn't changed it entirely when given the option.

"I quite like mine!" Meredy said with a giggle, already wearing it. It looked exactly like her usual outfit, just a different color scheme with the Fairy Tail mark on her cloak. "I think I'll wear it even if I don't have to fill in."

'I will, too!' Kozupii projected, wearing a dark purple long-sleeved shirt, a black skirt, and black boots.

"You should, they look good on you two." Ultear told the pair, examining her own outfit. Like Meredy's, it was her usual clothing style but with the purple and cream color scheme. "Can't say the same for Jellal."

"Thank you, your commentary is much appreciated." The blunette said sarcastically, tugging at the high collar of his cloak. Like Ultear and Meredy, he was wearing his usual style.

But purple clashed so badly with his hair…

Itachi was just wearing his usual outfit, having only changed the color of his cloak to purple.

"How about yours, princess?" Toph asked curiously, turning to Raven, who hadn't said anything.

"Sufficient." Raven said with an uncaring shrug.

She had borrowed Lucy's Colors Magic device a few minutes prior, and had merely changed her usual outfit to match the 'team colors,' making the others face-palm for not thinking to do that instead of wasting money on the clothing. Her usual red cloak clasp had been switched out for one in the shape of the Fairy Tail mark.

* * *

As predicted, the uniforms that the Master had tried to give to Team B were immediately destroyed.

Mirajane, Laxus, and Gajeel had done it on purpose, Natsu on accident (or so he claimed), Gray had tried it on before stripping and losing it, and…

Well, at that point Makarov just gave up and told them to wear whatever.

Maybe he should've heeded Lucy's warning…

No, where was the fun in that?

Erza was the only one who bothered to keep her outfit, though she doubted she would wear it much during the Games.

* * *

A few hours later, Juvia noticed that her friend was carrying a small piece of cloth in his hand.

"Gajeel-san, what is that?" the blue-haired woman asked curiously.

"Eh?" Gajeel glanced at her distractedly, munching on some iron. Realizing what she was talking about, he grunted and stuffed the thing in his back pocket. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

He didn't notice Pantherlily coming up from behind him, grabbing the object from his pocket as Gajeel swore.

The black Exceed snickered, smoothing out the fabric and showing it to his partner's friend.

"Is that what Juvia thinks it is?" Juvia asked, amused.

"If you're thinking a headband, I do believe you're right." Lily answered with a small smile, dodging the mug Gajeel threw at him.

"Juvia _knew_ it!" she squealed excitedly.

"Knew what?" Gajeel asked with a scowl, grumbling in annoyance as he muttered about traitorous cats and nosy women.

"Levy-san will be good for you." Juvia said with a genuine smile, clasping her hands together.

"O-OY!" Gajeel protested, wide-eyed and looking nervous. "Keep it down, Ame on'na!"

Juvia chuckled. "But Juvia is so happy for you Kurogane!"

Gajeel groaned.

"He gave her flowers for Valentine's day, and then they had their date from the auction, but he hasn't even tried to make a move!" the Iron Dragon Slayer heard Lily whisper to his friend, who gasped in horror.

He groaned again, trying to ignore them.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Note: Ame on'na is the translation for Rain Woman, one of Juvia's nicknames, according to the FT wiki. Kurogane is the translation for Black Steel, which is Gajeel's.**


	31. Games: Arriving in Crocus

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything but a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy hummed contently as she wandered down the streets of Crocus with her team.

"It's much busier this year." Jellal observed, glancing around at the hundreds of people, and those were only the ones he could see.

"No kidding." Toph groaned with a grimace. "It's hard to keep up…too many footsteps and heartbeats…"

Lucy winced sympathetically. "Sorry, Toph. Anything we can do to help?"

Toph opened her mouth to reply in the negative, but then she paused, feeling a certain group of familiar people heading towards them. She grinned. "I'll be fine. Incoming. Hey Twinkletoes!"

"Wh—" Lucy began, but she was cut off as a boy launched himself from the crowd towards Toph, arms open as if he was about to give her a hug.

She turned to her team. "Go on, I'll catch up. These are just some old friends."

Understanding, Lucy and the others left to continue on to their hotel.

Toph turned back towards the boy and dodged swiftly, bringing up a column of rock for him to crash into.

Of course, Toph's avoidance just moved her closer to the rest of the group, and Zuko gave her a hug in greeting before Katara and Suki got to her, and then Sokka.

"Come on!" the first boy groaned, falling down to the ground pitifully. "Toph, I'm sixteen. Can you stop calling me that?"

"Not a chance." Toph grinned at him before turning towards the others. "What're you guys doing here?"

Suki chuckled, smiling widely. "We came to support you, of course!"

Toph laughed, and was about to respond when she noticed something odd coming from Suki.

Was that…

Her eyes widened, gasping in shock as her head shot up, staring where she presumed her friend's face was. "Are…?"

"Yep!" Suki answered.

"Do they…?" Toph continued.

"Katara does, but not the boys." Suki answered. "I'll tell them after the Games."

Katara smiled as she realized what the two were talking about.

"Huh?" Aang asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he scratched at his head.

Sokka freaked out, wondering what his wife was hiding from him, and spent the next few minutes begging for them to tell him.

Zuko, on the other hand, frowned thoughtfully, staring at the three girls.

What could Suki be hiding that Katara would know about, and that Toph would be able to sense almost immediately?

Wait.

Katara was a healer, and Toph could feel heartbeats…

"Oh!" His eyes widened in shock, turning to the auburn-haired girl. "Really?"

Suki beamed up at him, and he smiled back.

"Congratulations." He said sincerely, causing the slightly younger girl to smile even wider and thank him.

The other two boys looked at them, completely baffled.

"Well, the secret's out for Zuko, and I never had hope of keeping it from Toph…" Suki said with a laugh. "So the question is: should I tell them, or wait until they figure it out?"

Toph smirked. "Eh, let them wait."

Suki wasn't so sure, but when Zuko and even Katara (who thought her brother's reactions when he didn't know something were hilarious) agreed with Toph, she decided to follow the advice.

* * *

A few streets away from Itachi, his younger brother Sasuke was following his blonde boyfriend (not that he would ever say the word) as the slightly younger ninja tried to find a ramen stand.

"Come _on_ , Sasuke!" Naruto groaned desperately, trying to sniff out the delicious noodles. "I'm hungry!"

"Dobe." Sasuke sighed, walking sedately as Naruto sped off again.

* * *

Astrid scowled as she saw the shore of the kingdom of Fiore.

It wasn't her place to question her chief, but she really wondered why he had decided to come to this horrid land _now_ , to show the Vikings' superiority over mages, while he hadn't even sent anyone to check her claims that Hiccup and his beast were still alive and living here.

If that little runt (she conveniently forgot that he had been taller and more muscular when she saw him last) happened to be here…

She would make him pay for humiliating her, both in dragon training and when the other villagers hadn't believed her.

Revenge would be sweet.

'And in the meantime, maybe I'll get to spill some mage blood.' she thought, swinging her axe around absentmindedly.

* * *

Shiemi clasped her hands together nervously as they crossed over into Fiore territory.

They had heard rumors that there were a few half-demons in Fiore, living amongst the citizens without persecution, free to live their lives as they chose so long as they didn't break the laws that everyone else was expected to follow.

That being said, was Rin here? Was he okay? What if—

Her thoughts were cut off by Izumo, the purple-haired girl giving the blonde a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Shiemi. The bastard is looking our way." The older girl whispered, nodding subtly towards Yukio, who was indeed staring at her in concern.

Shiemi flinched beneath Izumo's hand, turning so that her back was to Yukio

And to think, she had used to have such a huge crush on him.

Betraying his older twin for something that not only could Rin not control, but for something that Yukio himself was guilty of as well? Just because Yukio apparently hadn't inherited Satan's powers didn't mean that he didn't have demon blood running through his veins just like Rin.

From his place a few meters away, Yukio's heart clenched painfully (a familiar feeling over the last few years) as Shiemi firmly turned away from him.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Yes, SasuNaru is included. It won't be a major pairing. I will not change it. Feel free to ignore it if you have a problem with yaoi or the pairing itself.**


	32. Games: Sky Labyrinth

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy looked up as she heard a knock on her hotel door.

She glanced at the clock curiously. It was nearly midnight. Who would come to see her at this hour?

The blonde got up, striding to the door and opening it, and was surprised to see Macao, of all people.

"Lucy, have you seen Romeo?" he asked her worriedly.

"Romeo?" her eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. "No, not since we checked in. Is he missing?"

He exhaled slowly, trying not to panic, which wasn't easy because it was his _son_. "He went with Wendy and Carla to the castle Mercurius to see the flowers, and they were supposed to be back an hour ago. I thought maybe they just didn't notice the time, but…"

Lucy bit her lip in concern. "I can't go anywhere, since participating mages have a curfew tonight, but…"

She quickly requipped one of her silver key. "Open, Gate of the Hunting Dogs: Canes Venatici!"

A pair of bloodhounds appeared, immediately going to Macao and sniffing at him.

Macao, fully trusting Lucy, stood still. "What are they doing?"

"Romeo's scent will be similar to yours, since you're his father." She explained. "They're memorizing your scent so they don't mistake it for his. Do you have anything that belongs to Romeo with you?"

"No, but I'll find something from our room." Macao answered, before turning to leave.

"Bring them with you." Lucy instructed. "I don't know what the game masters are planning, but I'm guessing there's a reason we're supposed to be at our hotels. I can keep their gate open for hours, even if whatever it is requires magic, so don't worry about that."

As she said it, a loud voice boomed over the city of Crocus. "ATTENTION ALL MAGES COMPETING IN THIS YEAR'S GAMES!" they heard. "GOOD MORNING!"

"Knew it." Lucy muttered before shooing Macao out, locking her door behind her before meeting the rest of her team. Kozue and Meredy were there too, just in case.

Toph cheered, eager for the challenge to begin.

"As you all know, mages will not be the only ones participating in the Games this year!" the voice said. "As such, to make things fairer for our guests, only 8 teams from Fiore will be allowed to compete this year!"

"What?!" Meredy asked, startled.

The mages blinked up at the giant projection of the pumpkin mascot.

"To narrow down the 113 guilds to a more manageable number, let's begin the preliminary round!"

"Seriously?" Gajeel asked, looking more than a little annoyed as Team B appeared behind Team A.

"Well, this is news." Erza said.

* * *

"Has there been a preliminary round in years' past?" Ichiya asked, glass of wine in hand.

"No." Hibiki denied, shaking his head. "This is completely new. Though I suppose it makes sense that it would be necessary."

* * *

"So this must be the reason we were required to take our places at midnight." Lyon mused.

"113 guilds narrowed down to a meager 8 in one fell swoop." Jura stated.

* * *

' _This doesn't make sense. Why would they keep this preliminary round a secret till now? Why all these new procedures?'_ Erza wondered with a frown.

First the new rule that allowed more than one team per guild—which was in place even before they opened the Games to non-mages—and now this?

Kozue glanced at her, but decided not to reply to her thoughts.

"The rules of this preliminary round are simple!" the mascot announced.

"What the—" Gray cried out in shock as the world started moving around them. Or, more specifically, the building.

Juvia stumbled, knocked off balance, and Gray caught her arm to keep her from falling over the railing.

Which, of course, caused the blunette to swoon at the contact.

"What's happening?!" Erza demanded, ignoring Gray shouting at Juvia to try and wake her up. "Look, the inn is rising up!"

"The other ones are doing it to!" Mirajane shouted.

"Now you will all be participating in our race! The finish line is at the Domas-Flau coliseum! Only the first eight team to reach it will fight in the Games!"

"That's a path!" Juvia cried, finally waking up as a staircase made of wood appeared before them all. She blushed as she (very reluctantly) removed herself from Gray's arms.

"I suppose we'll be following it?" Erza asked.

"It appears so." Jellal said.

"You're free to use magic in any way you see fit!" the pumpkin continued. "There are no restrictions! But remember, only the first eight teams to reach the finish line will clear this round! However, all five members must cross the boundary to count!"

Gray looked at Juvia warily, thinking about her strange habit of falling unconscious at the oddest times.

"One more thing! We are not responsible for any loss of life that may occur in the labyrinth." The mascot said slyly.

"Say what?" Laxus asked.

"So, without further ado, let the preliminary round, Sky Labyrinth, BEGIN!"

The Fairy Tail teams looked up, seeing a large sphere made up of buildings and staircases.

"Huh." Natsu muttered, wondering how they'd gotten that up there.

Team A was already running up the path. Their response time was quicker because they'd been in the Games before. Jellal turned, running backwards, and grinned at Erza. "See you at the finish line, Scarlet."

And then he turned back around, leaving behind a blushing redhead.

"Come on, Titania." Mirajane said with a giggle, resting a hand on her old rival's shoulder.

* * *

When Team A reached the labyrinth, Toph took a deep breath, extending her senses as far as they could go. She had long since memorized the footsteps and heartbeat of the pumpkin mascot (and as such she knew who was behind that mask), and she felt him arrive at the finish line.

Considering she could feel him through the earth, she could also feel which route to take to get them there. And she would be able to focus on that route, not be distracted by the odd sights surrounding them.

Her eyes snapped open. "Got it."

"Then let's go." Raven murmured, levitating higher than the others so they would have a warning of any threats, whether from the other guilds or the labyrinth itself.

* * *

"From the ground, the coliseum was to the east." Erza muttered, pulling out a compass.

* * *

Team A arrived at the finish line first, surprising no one.

There was a large video lacrima that showed what was happening in the maze, and they saw their Team B beat up other guilds to acquire the maps that every guild but them had apparently decided to use to navigate the arena.

"Well…whatever works, I guess." Ultear decided.

"Thank god we have Toph." Charlotte muttered, seeing the other team do their best to piece together the maps.

Toph gave her a thumbs up.

An hour later, and the teams that would be moving on had been decided.

Fairy Tail Team B had ended up in second place, since even though Erza's plan of using the maps hadn't worked very well Laxus had managed to travel via lightning to the finish line, trace a route back, and then lead them there.

Like most people would plot a route while doing a (much less interesting) maze.

* * *

As soon as the teams were dismissed to go back to their hotels, Lucy rushed to where she could feel her spirits.

She ended up in a makeshift infirmary, with Romeo, Wendy, and Carla asleep in beds and while Makarov, Porlyusica, and Makarov stood over them. Canes Venatici stood guard from the corner of the room.

Lucy's eyes widened at the sight.

She bowed to her spirits in thanks before dismissing them back to the spirit world.

"What happened?" she asked immediately after that, concerned for her younger friends. "Are they hurt? I can summon Phoenix, he's good with healing magic…"

"Quiet, child. They were attacked and had their magic drained." Porlyusica said without preamble, blunt as always. "They are not physically injured, and they will be fine with rest."

Who would do that to a twelve year old, thirteen year old, and a semi-harmless Exceed?

And what if they tried it again?

* * *

*The next day*

* * *

"ATTENTION EVERYONE, THE 8 TEAMS HAVE BEEN DETERMINED!" the pumpkin, Mato, announced.

"In first and second place, we have Fairy Tail Teams A and B respectively!

3rd place Sabertooth!

4th place Raven Tail!

5th place Lamia Scale!

6th place Blue Pegasus!

7th place Mermaid Heel!

And in 8th place is Quatro Cerberus!"

* * *

"What the hell?!" the other guilds shouted in shock.

The three judges went on to explain that the council had added a rule this year allowing for guilds to enter more than one team, and though it was in the handbook printed in black and white, apparently only Fairy Tail had taken advantage of it.

"That's not fair, if you ask me." Jenny Realight, guest judge, model for Sorcerer's Weekly, and Blue Pegasus mage said with a sniff. "What if one of the events is a battle royale between the guilds? There's nothing to stop Fairy Tail from teaming up."

"Guess that's their reward for being the only guild with two teams." Yajima said with a laugh. "Go Maki!"

Makarov could be heard cheering in the background.

* * *

"There a reason you keep gawking?" Gajeel growled as the Sabertooth guild walked out.

"Nothing important." Rogue said dismissively. He glanced at Raven, who nodded at him in greeting.

Whatever was between them, neither would hold back.

* * *

"At least we know who our biggest competition is." Gray muttered from his place beside Juvia, glancing across the Sabertooth mages.

Natsu scowled, glaring at Sting. "That blonde really rubs me the wrong way."

* * *

Meanwhile, another Sabertooth mage was staring at a certain blonde from Fairy Tail Team A in shock.

'No way…' Yukino thought, horrified as she realized that her role model would be competing against her.

Sabertooth's Celestial Spirit mage had only joined the guild a few months ago, and she hadn't attended the Games as a guest, either, so she had had no idea…

Lucy Heartfilia…with ten gold keys and a dozen or so silver keys…

If the two of them had to battle, Yukino had very little doubt that she would lose against the beautiful S-Class mage, pride and status as a Sabertooth mage be damned.

* * *

Watching from the stands, three groups of people were stunned to see certain people either on one of the Fairy Tail teams or in the stands with the rest of the guild.

* * *

"Nii-san?!" Yukio yelped, seeing his brother cheering wildly.

Shura and the junior exorcists behind him, Rin's former trainer and former classmates, all of whom had tried to defend Rin and stood firmly behind him, where ecstatic to see their friend alive and well.

Shiemi smiled as she noticed the blue-eyed half-demon had a hand around another girl's waist. In hindsight she realized that he had had a crush on her (though she had liked Yukio at the time), but she couldn't have been what he needed, back then, so she was happy that he had found someone who was.

"Itachi…" Sasuke exhaled, dark eyes wide as he saw his older brother, who he had thought was dead for years.

His heart clenched, remembering the pain that both of them had gone through, how Itachi had sacrificed his happiness, reputation, and (arguably) sanity to that Sasuke could live.

Sasuke at least had had the support of their village, but Itachi, forced out as a missing ninja after being blackmailed into committing a massacre…Itachi hadn't had anyone.

He glanced down as he felt something hit the back of his hand, and wasn't particularly surprised to find out that he was crying.

Naruto took ahold of his hand, squeezing it in support as the blonde also tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

* * *

Stoick stiffened in fury as he noticed a familiar black beast positioned behind the weird Fairy-whatsit guild.

The Night Fury was alive.

And if the person on the demon's back was any indication…

So was Hiccup.

His fists clenched around his axe, using all of his restrain to stop himself from going over there and killing the beast, his traitor of a son, and anyone or anything that got in his way.

Once he had regained a bit of control, he realized something, and glanced over at Astrid.

The young blonde was completely unsurprised to see them there.

Right.

Maybe he should start listening more…

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	33. Games: Day One, Event 1 (Hidden)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapter, with possible mentioned yuri alongside the yaoi there already is in the story.**

 **Note: No, Laxus' Exceed from the original version of this will not be included.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"All contestants in Hidden are hiding _and_ seeking at the same time!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu complained.

"In order to earn points, one player has to land an attack on another. Whether it does any damage, the attacker will win one point, while the…heh…victim loses one point."

"Dozens of figures suddenly manifested around the contestants.

"Wait…now what's going on?" Toph asked from the stands, eyebrows furrowing. She could feel physical forms appearing on the battle grounds below.

"Dozens of copies of each contestant just appeared." Meredy whispered.

Toph raised an eyebrow, wondering if she should've gone down there instead. After all, she could tell the difference between the real ones and the fakes by their heartbeats…or lack thereof.

After a moment, she shrugged.

She doubted her teammate would have any trouble with this.

"I know they're pretty, folks, but they're not just for show! Attack one of your fake competitors by mistake, and it'll cost you one point! Now, it's time to begin. Some advice: hide in plain sight!"

A gong sounded.

* * *

Itachi blinked at the many clones surrounding him, all perfectly still.

He gave a mental shudder, having a strange mental image of puppets made from human corpses.

He paused. Where had that come from?

"You don't really know how this game works, do you?" he heard a voice from behind, though he had already been aware of the man's presence, and turned to see the purple Raven Tail competitor.

Itachi stared at the man, not deigning to respond, and Nalpudding quickly launched an attack at him…

Only for Itachi to disappear in a whirl of leaves, using one of his ninja techniques to switch places with one of his clones.

"What the hell?!" Nalpudding demanded as he lost a point.

* * *

"Kawairimi…" Sasuke murmured.

"Ah." Naruto said, eyes sharp as he watched the contestants on the huge lacrima in front of him. "And the Shunshin."

The pair were in Fiore purely as guests to evaluate the land that bordered the Elemental Nations, just in case they ever went to war (not that they were planning on it; they had enough to deal with just with the ninja villages), so they didn't have a team in the Games.

…Which meant that Sasuke could silently cheer his brother on and not feel guilty about it.

(AN: Kawairimi is the replacement technique from Naruto, and Shunshin is the Body Flicker technique, where the user moves so quickly that they appear to be teleporting.)

* * *

Lyon glomped one of Juvia's clones.

Even if he had given up on her returning his feelings, he still wanted to have fun by making Gray jealous.

-1 point.

Lyon groaned in dismay.

* * *

Juvia glanced down at her abdomen as she saw an attack go through her.

"Hah!" Nalpudding crowed, eyes closed. "Weak Fairy Tail mages—Wah!"

He was knocked into a building by Juvia's water whip when he wasn't paying attention. He also didn't notice that his attack had gone right through Juvia's body and into one of the clones.

-2 more points..

One from hitting Itachi's clone, one from Juvia's attack, and one from the clone he'd hit trying to attack the Water mage.

Feeling himself be transported to another part of the arena, Nalpudding gaped. "How the hell—?!"

"It would seem that attacks that hit Juvia's Water Body do not count against her." Juvia said in her usual monotone, walking up from behind him as she found him again (he had only gone to the next street, so she went through an alley).

"Shit!" Nalpudding gasped as he hurriedly dodged an attack, only to be hit in the back a moment later.

Juvia glanced up, seeing Itachi's cloak disappear down the same alley she had come through, and smiled.

* * *

Yajima cringed.

He and the game master's hadn't thought to program the scoreboard to recognize attacks that hit water, which gave Fairy Tail Team B's Juvia Lockser an unfair advantage, if she kept using that technique.

…Their bad.

Worse, it wasn't her mistake, so the points stood.

* * *

Itachi wandered around the makeshift town aimlessly, occasionally dodging attacks (somehow they all ended up hitting clones, giving them negative points), using the Shunshin to get away from his opponents.

He hadn't been hit, but he hadn't landed once since Nalpudding, either.

* * *

Yukio sighed, reloading his two guns as he tried to find people.

He'd already been hit four times, and he hadn't managed to land a hit on anyone.

Damn it…

Oh!

"Got you…" the Exorcist murmured quietly as he aimed at the blonde Viking wielding a large axe.

* * *

Astrid hadn't been doing very well either, fury causing her to attack the clones of Hiccup's guildmates whenever she happened to glance up at the traitor or that godsforsaken beast of his.

And now she grunted in pain as she was hit in the arm with a metal projectile.

Glancing up, she glared as she saw one of those demon-hunters (what a laugh, she thought, calling themselves exorcists) aiming at her, and she narrowed her eyes before she was whisked away.

She'd get him back. Maybe not now, but she would.

* * *

"This isn't hide and seek, it's just seek." Yeager, the Quatro Cerberus mage, muttered to himself.

* * *

"Oh my…" Rufus Lore sighed, closing his eyes as he noticed that the two Fairy Tail mages were racking up the points. "This won't do…"

He wanted to wait until the time was almost up, but if he did that the black-haired one, at least, would quickly surpass him...

* * *

"What's happening?" Erza asked as day turned to night.

* * *

The contestants were suddenly surrounded by light, separating them from their clone counterparts…

Rufus let out an attack, which struck all but two…

"Missed me!" Nalpudding sneered, jumping out from behind Rufus and trying to land a hit. Unfortunately, the blonde disappeared. "A clone?"

"No, that was the memory of my being there. You didn't lose a point." Rufus said with a chuckle. "I find it much more useful than mere clones…"

His eyes widened as he was hit from behind, seeing the mage from Fairy Tail Team A hit Nalpudding from behind at the same exact time. "Who—"

He turned, only to see _another_ image of Itachi disperse. "A clone?"

The Sabertooth thought it ironic that he was repeating Nalpudding's words, but didn't pay much attention, wondering how the Fairy Tail mage had managed to use one (or two?) of his clones to attack them.

He didn't know that Itachi wasn't a mage, and that those _weren't_ clones created by the game masters.

* * *

"What was that?!" one of the judges shouted, just as surprised as Rufus.

* * *

"Kage Bunshin…" Itachi whispered, responding quietly to the judge's question. He had started regaining memories of the techniques he was able to use. "Shadow Clones…they are the ninja equivalent of a thought projection, right down to their fighting power being split in half…"

Though unlike Thought Projections, Shadow Clones were capable of independent thought and could act on their own without the user guiding their every movement from somewhere else.

He had managed to dodge the Sabertooth mage's attack, and when he realized how many points the move had brought the blonde he had summoned one clone to attack each opposing group.

Rufus Lore. Nalpudding. That strange Quatro Cerberus man. Beth Vanderwood. Eve Tearm. Lyon Vastia. His clones hit Yukio Okumura and Astrid Hofferson particularly hard, knowing that they had both hurt a member of Fairy Tail.

He had made a token attempt on Juvia, well aware that it wouldn't do any damage or count against her. He had no intention of seriously attacking any of his companions (and, dare he think it, friends) in Fairy Tail, but he had to look like he was trying or else he'd get called out for favoritism.

* * *

Eve groaned, sitting up after Rufus Lore and then Itachi Uchiha's attack.

"I need to get a move on." He realized, quickly summoning up a mini-snowstorm.

* * *

"That's got to be Eve." Jenny said knowingly from her position at the judge's table (she was that day's guest).

"It's a shame that Lyon isn't affected by the cold." Eve said, standing up from a crouch. "And I don't know about Juvia-nee. But most of them are."

"I see." Ichiya realized. "They're starting to shiver, and you can see the steam from their breath."

"But it doesn't work that way for the copies." Ren finished with a smirk.

"Pretty smart strategy." Hibiki said approvingly.

"I can see you!" Eve called out, pulling a hand back and letting loose a spell that his Nalpudding, Beth, and Yeager.

The blonde Blue Pegasus mage glanced up to see where he stood with his points, but was distracted when a flock of ice birds struck his body.

He glanced up, spotting Lyon.

"Unfortunately for you I've spent my life training in the cold!"

"Yeah, I kind of figured." Eve said with a pained grin, clutching his side.

* * *

Rufus scowled as the gong rang, interrupting him just when he was about to cast his spell again.

* * *

"1st with 10 points is Fairy Tail Team A!

2nd with 9 points is Sabertooth!

3rd with 8 points is Fairy Tail Team B!

4th with 7 points is Blue Pegasus!

5th with 6 points is Lamia Scale!

6th with 5 points is Raven Tail!

7th with 4 points is True Cross Order (the Exorcists)!

8th with 3 points is Quatro Cerberus!

9th with 2 points is Mermaid Heel!

And in last place, with 1 point, is the Hairy Hooligan tribe!"

Oh yes, Astrid had been particularly vicious during the event, but she'd attacked so many clones in her rage (she had just wanted to hack away at something, visualizing Hiccup and the Night Fury all the while) that she was deep in the negatives.

* * *

 **Please review! Please. *puppy-eyes***

 **I know that in the series the points system was different, but I did it like this because now there are 10 teams competing, not 8, so I can't keep it the same. I'm not explaining well, but it makes sense in my head, at least.**

 **Juvia got third place because none of the hits that landed on her counted because they went right through her Water Body and didn't register, and Itachi was going around with clones to kick everyone's asses and make them lose points while he gained them and didn't lose any because no one could land a hit.**

 **As for why only two non-mage groups are participating in the Games…the Exorcists from the True Cross Order and the Vikings from the Hairy Hooligan tribe were the only ones arrogant enough to enter the competition without checking out what the mages are capable of. Every other outsider, like Sasuke and Naruto, for example, are just in the audience to see if they'll even have a chance to win in later years if they get another opportunity. The Vikings things everyone but them is weak and the Exorcists just hate magic and want to prove that they can beat the mages.**

 **It definitely makes it much easier for me to plan the events and battles, since there's only two more groups to deal with.**


	34. Games: Day One, Battle 1: Lucy vs Flare

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything besides a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters. Again, possible yuri in the future.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Our very first act of this year's Games will test the abilities of Fairy Tail Team A's Celestial Spirit mage Lucy Heartfilia against the crimson intensity, Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

Lucy hopped down into the stadium as the redhead from Raven Tail stared at her, head tilted, with a creepy expression on her face.

The blonde examined her carefully. Long hair, braided. Revealing red dress. Scar on her shoulder. Crazed red eyes…

"Too bad for you blondie." The girl said, voice unexpectedly soft and child-like.

Lucy's eyes widened, slightly surprised.

This girl…she was a member of Ivan Dreyar's guild. Master Makarov's banished (and disowned) son…

"Come on!" Natsu roared. "Knock Miss Creepy-Eyes into next week!"

"If you win it'll keep us in the running!" Erza called out.

"Yeah! Knock her lights out!" Elfman shouted, before turning to the pinkette and redhead. "You two do realize you're on different teams, right?"

They stared at him blankly, unsure what he was getting at.

The Beast Takeover mage sweat-dropped.

Lucy smiled slightly at her friends' words of support, glancing towards their place in the stands to see Laxus nod encouragingly at her. "I'll do my best."

"Your best won't be good enough, girl." Ivan sneered from his place in the stands, glaring at the girl who was reportedly in a relationship with his son, not knowing that she was also thinking about his guild.

'Raven Tail…' her eyes narrowed angrily. 'Canes Venatici told me that they were the ones who attacked Wendy, Carla, and Romeo, just to get our attention. And during Hidden they focused more on Juvia (not Itachi, since Nalpudding couldn't find him) than on winning. They have a lot to answer for…and they will. I'll make _sure_ of it.'

"That's a dangerous look in her eyes." Pantherlily observed, arms crossed.

"Yeah, it's like somebody lit a fire under her butt." Happy agreed.

"She knows she's going up against one of Ivan's brats." Makarov scowled. "I want carnage out there, Lucy, you hear!"

Lucy sighed at the Master's shouts.

"Is something wrong Master Mavis?" Romeo asked the spirit of Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis Vermillion.

"I can't help but wonder what Raven Tail guild is trying to achieve." The pale blonde answered quietly.

"With all due respect it's obvious they're trying to humiliate us!" Makarov cried.

Mavis frowned, staring at Ivan. "Let's just hope it's something that petty."

* * *

Hisui E. Fiore, crown princess of Fiore, watched the proceedings from the safety of the castle on a large video lacrima.

The green-haired beauty tensed slightly, sitting up straighter as she saw Lucy Heartfilia step out into the arena for her first battle.

She had been the one to request that the blonde Fairy Tail mage be a participant in the first official battle of the Games, and since her wishes were second only to her father's, her wish had easily been granted.

Not that she had any malicious reasons for keeping watch on Lucy, but she needed another Celestial Spirit mage so that the Eclipse Gate could open in time…

Because if it didn't, Fiore would fall with the rest of the world.

* * *

The two women got into place.

 _1…_

 _2…_

 _3…_

 _The gong sounded._

Flare immediately launched an attack, sending a Hair Wolf at Lucy.

"Hair magic…" Lucy mused, Cancer's key appearing in her hand in less than a second. 'Well, that's an obvious choice.'

She didn't even need to speak, and a moment later the Crab spirit stood in front of her, locks of crimson hair at his feet.

"MY HAIR!" Flare screeched furiously, glaring darkly at Lucy before digging her hair into the ground. It sprang up, wrapping itself around Lucy's legs.

She tried swinging the Celestial Spirit mage around the arena, but unfortunately Cancer hadn't yet gone back to the spirit world, and immediately let his summoner free.

Lucy was flung to the wall of the arena, but managed to twist her body so that she hit it with her feet, launching back towards Flare in a way reminiscent of Natsu.

The fights was over in seconds as Cancer shaved the Raven Tail's head completely, rendering the crimson red locks useless as they lay at Flare's feet.

Flare collapsed onto her knees, staring at her hair in horrified shock.

Her gift…the last piece of home she had… _gone._

She didn't hear the announcement declaring Lucy's victory (Fairy Tail Team A had gained 10 more points), but she did notice when the blonde mage knelt beside her, and looked up blankly.

"I'm sorry about that." Lucy said sheepishly, seeing the devastated look in the other woman's eyes and realizing that vanity was _not_ the reason for it. "Cancer can grow it all back just like it was, if you'd like. It won't take him more than a few moments."

"Ebi." Cancer agreed.

Flare hesitated only slightly, nodding and squeezing her eyes shut in fear. What if they didn't actually help her? What if they were about to humiliate her? Beat her like Master?

She tensed as she felt something touch her, only to realize that it was her hair hitting her shoulders, and her red eyes opened in astonishment.

The Fairy…had actually followed through on her words?

She immediately sent a pulse of her magic into her hair, making sure that the magical rejuvenation hadn't caused her hair to lose its magical properties.

Flare nearly cried when she felt it dance to her will.

She got up slowly, glancing nervously at the blonde and celestial spirit before bowing slightly in thanks.

And with that, she walked away.

* * *

Hisui hummed to herself.

The blonde seemed like a kind, compassionate person, from what she had just seen. She had certainly not been obligated to have Cancer grow Flare's hair back, especially given the history between Makarov Dreyar and his son Ivan, Raven Rail's guild master.

She found herself respecting the girl.

Hopefully she wouldn't have to take drastic measures to gain the girl's cooperation.

But she would if she needed to.

Such was the responsibility of a leader. They had to balance the needs of their people with their own morals, especially when so many lives depended on which action they took.

And who knows?

Maybe her visitor from the future had been wrong (or was outright lying). If the Games didn't follow the path the person had laid out for her, then she wouldn't follow through on the Eclipse Project 2.

Of course, if things _did_ follow that path, then she had no choice but to believe the person.

After all, there was no way they could predict all of those outcomes accurately.

* * *

"The hell?" Erik said aloud at the redheaded Raven Tail mage's unexpected thoughts.

Kozue winced, and when Warren glanced at them in confusion, having not been actively 'listening', she showed him what the girl had been thinking.

"Damn." He grimaced, understanding why the other two were reacting like that.

"What?" Laxus, Jellal, and Erza demanded at the same time, worried that Flare would try and get revenge on Lucy.

The mind-reading trio (though Erik would protest, because his magic wasn't technically mind-reading) glanced at each other, knowing what the other three were thinking.

Warren said. "It's not like that, it's just…"

"Girl's got issues." Erik finished.

"Okay…" Laxus frowned. "That's not exactly surprising…"

'She isn't like the rest of the mages in Raven Tail.' Kozue said, biting her lip worriedly as Flare walked back to her guildmates, flinching as Ivan berated her harshly.

Erik could hear all of it.

" _You!" Ivan snarled, grabbing Flare's face and yanking her towards him._

 _Flare bit her lip, careful not to cry out. It was always worse when she did that._

" _You lost to that Fairy Tail bitch!" he continued, squeezing her face. "Is that girl_ better _than you?!"_

" _No, master!" Flare answered, pain in every word. "I'll do better next time!"_

" _See that you do." Ivan said darkly, tossing the woman away._

 _Flare tried to hold back tears as her teammates walked away from her without so much as a glance._

* * *

"She's their punching bag." Erik realized with a dark scowl, finding it hard to imagine that a guild would do that.

After all, Angel had _never_ been treated like that back when they were in Oracion Seis; she had been just as much a part of their makeshift family as the rest of them, and unlike the Oracion Seis, Raven Tail was a _legal_ guild. "They don't care about her at all."

Lucy swore under her breath, catching the last part of the conversation as she arrived in their area so that she could watch the next match.

She had known something was off about Flare's interactions with them…

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	35. Games: Day One, Battles Two and Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything besides a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"It's only day one of the Games and the second battle round has us on the edge of our seats!" the judge announced. "It's Blue Pegasus' Ren Akatsuki versus Mermaid Heel's Araña Webb! Will the playboy get tangled up?"

"You're stronger than last year, but you're still not going to beat me." Ren said with a cocky smirk.

The green-haired woman narrowed her eyes at him before chuckling. "I thought a Blue Pegasus man would object to attacking a lady. I guess I was wrong."

"These two are tough!" the judge said. "Just look at that determination!"

Yajima hummed, nodding in agreement. "This should be a great match."

"Go Ren! Win this one for Blue Pegasus!" Jenny Realight cheered enthusiastically from her position at the judge's table as the guest judge for day one. "Sherry's in the stands and she's rooting for you!"

From her place standing with Lamia Scale, the pinkette in question blushed slightly.

"Eh?" Natsu asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"They're engaged." Meredy explained with a laugh.

Ren quickly got annoyed at the cat-calling and the fact that the cheering got louder at Jenny's words, and turned towards her. "HEY!"

At that moment, the green-haired Mermaid Heel mage shot what looked to be spider webs at him, and said with a thick accent, "You left yourself wide open!"

"You're got to pay attention Ren!" Sherry cried, standing up. "Now go out there and kick her butt!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" the Lamia Scale guild master, a short old woman, scolded her, waving her index finger around in a twirling motion. "The last thing we need is one of our own rooting for the enemy!"

"Geez old hag, give the kid a break!" another Lamia Scale mage said from the old woman's other side. "They are engaged, after all!"

"Shut your trap!" she snapped, turning to him and waving her finger more. "Want me to spin ya?!"

"You already are!" the man said dizzily as his body spun like a top.

With a short grunt, Ren broke free of Arañna's webbing before turning to face the Lamia Scale area of the stands.

"What are you talking about, we are NOT engaged!" he shouted at them, fist clenched. "I just can't get rid of her; get it straight!"

"You're so mean!" Sherry cried, but Ren's reply was cut off as his opponent launched another attack.

He dodged in time, flipping gracefully over the silvery white webs.

"Always stuck to my side." He muttered as he easily dodged the next few blows. "Gah! It's annoying!"

Then he paused, turning back towards Sherry with a barely noticeable blush. "That said, whenever you're not around I just don't feel like myself."

Sherry put her hands to her cheeks, blushing slightly with a soft smile on her face.

From behind her Lyon, Toby, and Yuka glanced at her with their own smiles, glad that she'd finally found someone to love that could return it, unlike when she'd been crushing on Lyon.

She was far happier now than she was when they met her.

The man from before was still spinning.

"That's so sweet of you." She whispered.

Yuka smiled. "Why do chicks always seem to fall for the bad boy jerk types?"

"I dunno." Toby crooned.

"Oh, don't be jealous!" a younger pinkette who looked a bit like Sherry said from her place beside them, smiling happily as she glanced between Sherry and Ren.

"As long as she's watching I can't go making a fool of myself." Ren murmured seriously, _finally_ entering a battle stance. "I refuse!"

Araña launched an attack, and Ren responded in kind.

"Aerial Phose!" he shouted, and a relatively large sphere of air appeared, hitting his opponent.

The Mermaid Heel mage cried out in pain, before falling to the ground as the sphere disappeared.

She didn't get back up.

"Way to go baby!" Sherry cheered.

"And the winner is Ren Akatsuki of Blue Pegasus! Their guild has pulled an impressive 17 points on day one, and Mermaid Heel only has 2 points!"

Araña sat up shakily, leaning on her elbows as she glanced down sadly. "I guess I shouldn't have let my guard down."

And to think, she'd thought that she could win because it had seemed like Ren had had _his_ guard down.

She couldn't feel too bad about her loss, though. There was a reason Master Bob had chosen him to compete, after all.

* * *

"Yay!" Jenny cheered happily. "I knew you could do it, Ren!"

From the stands, Erza commented. "Wow. He's gotten stronger over the years."

"You don't think that guy's stronger than Ichiya, do you?" Natsu wondered, glancing at her.

"Natsu, don't be ridiculous." Erza said with a slight scoff in her voice. "Ichiya is an extraordinary man. He might be a little strange, but he is, without a doubt, the most powerful wizard in Blue Pegasus."

"Woah…" Natsu said with a nervous grin. "I really had no idea. Ichiya is that strong?"

He grinned brighter, more genuine this time. 'Now all I can think about is squaring off with him!'

"I can't help but be suspicious of whoever is hiding in that rabbit suit." Erza murmured, glancing at the figure in a blue bunny costume next to Ichiya.

"You too, huh?" Gajeel asked with a slight smirk. "I didn't want to be rude, but ever since I saw him I've been cracking up."

"No weirder than some of the stuff Erza wears." Natsu said with a dismissive shrug.

The rest of Team B stared at the idiot boy, backing away a few steps as Erza glared at him darkly.

"What was that, Natsu?" she asked dangerously.

Natsu whimpered. "Nothing, Erza! Just saying whoever that guy is should ask you for fashion advice!"

Erza raised an eyebrow, but decided to let it go.

After all, for all she knew Natsu would be called up to fight in one of the coming rounds, and he couldn't do that if she knocked him out.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, Natsu." Lucy said from her place. Team A were standing a few meters away from Team B, but they could still converse easily. "Weren't you the one who gave her that swan dress?"

She remembered the creepy-looking thing from when she visited the Fairy Hills dormitory and Erza showed her that she'd rented out five rooms solely for the outfits and armors that didn't fit in her requip space.

Including the dress in question, which Erza had never worn, but didn't want to throw out because it was given to her by a dear friend.

Natsu chuckled. "Yeah, good point."

He'd had a lot of fun over the years giving her crazy-looking stuff to add to her wardrobe.

* * *

A man wearing an odd dog-like costume stepped out onto the arena.

"It's time for the third match of day one!" the judge shouted. "Quatro Cerberus' Warcry vs. Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear!"

A large, muscular man with black tattoos on his arms and face, green-blue hair, and a black sweatband frowned, bored as he stared at his opponent.

"You're ready for this, I know you can do it Warcry!" Rocker shouted his encouragement from the stands. "Show this dude what it means to be one of the _wild ones!_ "

Warcry roared his approval.

* * *

"Check it out, it's Warcry." Sting chuckled. "This'll be good. Have you seen his magic before? It's pretty entertaining."

"Yes, I find it fascinating." Rufus answered. "In fact, I memorized it."

"I couldn't care less." Rogue said smoothly, getting up from his seat before walking away.

Sting shrugged.

'The only mage who interests me is you, Gajeel.' Rogue thought as he walked down a hallway. 'Since…'

His mind flashed to Raven's face, remembering their 'date' a few weeks prior. 'She isn't really a mage, is she?'

* * *

"I'm curious to see how Sabertooth does in a one on one battle." Pantherlily muttered.

"Well if that guy is as strong as he looks, this fight is gonna be over super quick." Happy said.

"So who do you think is gonna win?" Frosch, Rogue's adorable green Exceed who wore a pink frog suit, asked Lector.

"I think we both know the answer to that! Orga's got it in the bag." Lector said, a bit annoyed.

"Oh! He must have rigged the fight, huh?" Frosch asked.

"Look, Sting is the best mage we've got, but all of our members are really strong. Geez, Frosch, if you didn't even know that much you must be dumber than thought."

"I might be dumb, but I'm cute!" Frosch said.

Sting smiled at Frosch's words, but winced as he heard his partner's insults.

If Rogue ever caught Lector saying something like that to Frosch…well, Sting would probably never see him again.

He should probably have a talk with him about that. Making fun of non-Sabertooth mages was one thing, but…

* * *

"Match three begins…now!"

The gong was struck.

Warcry growled at Orga, eyes tearing up before he began to cry.

* * *

"That's it!" the judge announced. "Warcry's signature Tear Magic!"

"Can't say I've ever heard of it, but the name sure is fitting." Yajima mused.

"He's bawling!" Natsu laughed.

"Yes, he certainly is." Erza said, watching curiously.

"That is so not manly." Elfman groaned.

* * *

Warcry began to say something, but no one could understand him through his bawling.

Orga was getting bored, and within a few seconds he had unleased an attack of black energy, creating a sphere of black and yellowish/green that hit Warcry.

Fairy Tail Team B and the Quatro Cerberus team gaped in shock as Warcry fell to the ground, completely out.

* * *

Sting smirked, unsurprised.

"Lightning, huh?" Laxus grunted, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah!" Frosch and Lector cheered.

Pantherlily whimpered, covering his ears with his paws. "He used lightning?!"

"It took…one blow." Happy's body was shaking too, but out of fear for Orga, not the lightning itself like with Lily.

"And the third match is over in a literal flash!" the judge announced. "Orga's black lightning scorched Warcry's tears for the win!"

"No way, it's already over?" Orga heard a man from the stands complain.

"And with that one hit, the winner is Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear! Sabertooth now has a total of 19 points! Quatro Cerberus on the other hand only has 3! What a crying shame!"

* * *

"What's the rush, Orga?" Sting called down to his teammate as the shirtless man began his trek back up to the stands. "Couldn't you have made it a little more entertaining?"

Orga stared at him or a moment before turning right back around. "Alright fine, I'll go sing a song."

Sting slumped over the railing. "That ain't what I meant, you big meathead."

"Gimme the mic!" he demanded.

Mato complied.

"I don't know what Orga's about to do, but it looks like he's about to give a speech!" the judge shouted.

Orga tapped the mic, before…

* * *

Gajeel cringed at the man's singing.

"Geez, shut your trap." The Iron Dragon Slayer muttered with a grimace. "You can't sing at all."

His teammates (and, indeed, all of his guildmates) glanced at each other incredulously.

Hypocrite, much?

* * *

 **Please review! I'll love you lots and lots! xD**

 **We'll get to see some of the foreigners' reactions at the end of next chapter.**


	36. Games: Day One, Battles Three and Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Now it's time for the fourth match today!" the judge announced. "Competitors will be Yukino Aguria from Sabertooth versus Astrid Hofferson from the…Hairy Hooligans."

Was he reading that right?

Yes, yes we was.

"Okay then!" he continued. "This should be a good battle! Astrid is a Viking, with no magic, so it should be interesting seeing how her physical prowess holds up against Yukino's magic."

Astrid smirked cockily, sure that she would have no trouble beating the white-haired girl with the cloak decorated in feathers.

She ignored the girl when she bowed at her slightly in respect, just waiting for the gong to sound already.

When it did, she launched forward, axe raised high.

"Open, Gate of the Heavenly Scales." Yukino intoned calmly, holding a gold key above her head.

* * *

"She has Libra!" Lucy said, surprised.

"Lucy-nee, is that one of the Zodiacs?" Yui asked cutely from where she was perched on Kirito's lap.

Lucy grinned at the little girl. "Yup! Heavenly Scales…balance…I wonder what kind of magic she can use."

She got her answer a moment later, when Libra used Gravity Magic to knock Astrid down to the ground and keep her there no matter how much the blonde struggled, making her unable to continue the match.

Lucy worried about the dark fury in the younger blonde's eyes as her defeat was announced.

She glanced at Erik, who had noticed the same thing, and was reading the girl's thoughts.

Noticing her gaze, he grimaced at her with a small nod.

That girl was trouble, then.

Would she hold a grudge against Yukino specifically, or all mages because there were magic types that were strong enough to defeat her? Or the people of Fiore as a whole because of her hatred for Ryder and Toothless?

This was getting more and more complicated.

* * *

"Yukino Aguria of Sabertooth wins the match, leaving her guild with 29 points for today!" the judge called out. "The Hairy Hooligans, on the other hand, are left in last place so far with 1 point!"

* * *

Astrid glared at the Fairy Tail section of the stands, looking for Hiccup.

He wasn't looking at her, instead petting his demonic _beast_.

She looked away with a huff, not noticing that he turned to look at her as she did so, his light green eyes narrowed.

No one from Berk (the Vikings' home) had any idea that he was a mage, because he had been very good at keeping at hidden.

But the emotions he felt pouring off her, as well as his father and cousin?

They were cause for concern.

He turned, telling his guild mates about the emotions his empathy was picking up, which was confirmed by Erik a second later.

* * *

From the palace, Hisui's eyes widened.

There was another Celestial Spirit mage competing in the Games?!

How had she not known about this beforehand?

…And the single summoning hadn't given her a very good idea of the girl's skill.

Well, maybe she could fix that.

* * *

"Day one's matches are about to come to a close but we still have one more battle!" the judge announced.

"Looks like Fairy Tail Team A against Lamia Scale will be up for this match." Yajima glanced down at the schedule in front of him. "It's unusual that Team A will battle twice today while Team B doesn't battle at all, but we'll balance it out tomorrow by having Team B go twice and Team A not at all. As Orga Nanagear and Yukino Aguria from Sabertooth have both fought today, Sabertooth won't be up to battle on day 3, and the exorcists who—spoiler, won't be fighting today—will have an extra battle on day two or three."

"This'll be an interesting fight." Jenny said with a smile. "I can't wait to see which team comes out on top!"

"Alright folks, are you ready? The final match of the first day is going to be…Fairy Tail A's Jellal Fernandes versus Lamia Scale's Jura Neekis!"

The crowd's excitement reached an entirely new level at the announcement.

"Wow, I had no idea Jellal and Jura were so popular." Levy said in surprise.

"Well of course they are." Jet said from his seat beside her. "I mean he is one of the Ten Wizard Saints after all."

"He's about as strong as Master Makarov." Droy agreed. "And so is Jellal. He used to be one of the Saints too, and he was on the Magic Council."

"It would seem you're right Miss Realight, this will most definitely be an interesting match." Yajima said with a laugh before explaining to the crowd the same thing that Jet and Droy had told Levy. "This match may very well go down in history."

From the stands, Erza frowned thoughtfully. 'Jellal right off the bat. And he's up against Jura of all people.'

Natsu blinked. "Oh yeah! I forgot Jellal was kind of a big deal."

Lucy grinned. "Yeah, nii-san doesn't really seem the type, does he?"

* * *

"Good luck out there Jura!" Chelia cheered as Jura walked out of the tunnel and into the arena.

"This match is as good as ours." Yuka said smugly.

"He hasn't even started yet, Yuka!" Toby shouted, growling at his blue-haired friend.

"Chill out man, there's no need to get ticked off." Yuka said with a sigh.

* * *

From the Mermaid Heel area, Millianna bit her lip thoughtfully as she glanced at her once friend.

His eyes…they were kind again, like they had been before he and Erza had been taken away after taking the blame for Shō's escape plan.

Maybe, someday, she could handle being his friend again.

Kagura glared at the ground, frustrated that the man who had technically killed her older brother was _right there_ but she couldn't even be angry with him because he was fucking _possessed_ when it happened.

And she hadn't been able to kill Ultear, the girl who had possessed him, either, even though the woman had offered her life to Kagura, closing her eyes and awaiting her fate.

It had been the look in the pink-haired girl, Meredy's, eyes that stopped her.

And she was glad for it…when she heard the Arc of Time mage's story and _why_ she had done it.

Tortured, thought to be abandoned by her mother, then manipulated into becoming a murderer…dealing with the guilt of killing Meredy's family and the thing with Jellal and the Tower of Heaven.

The guilt was punishment enough, she had realized.

Still.

Kagura wished that Grimoure Heart's guild master, Hades, was still alive.

She had a fair few ideas where she could stick her sword.

* * *

"Good luck, Jellal!" Lucy hugged her surrogate brother firmly before letting him go, grinning up at the taller man.

"You've got this." Ultear said quietly. "Just don't show off…too much, at least."

"Yeah, Erza already knows how great you are." Meredy threw in a wink, causing the girls to chuckle.

* * *

Itachi startled when Jellal poked Meredy on her forehead, causing her to pout slightly.

A memory flashed through his head of him doing the same thing to a small child…but he couldn't see what they looked like, and he didn't remember who they were.

A sibling, perhaps?

His heart clenched at the realization that he might have left someone behind when…well, whatever had given him amnesia had happened.

Did he have a family? Parents, siblings, cousins? Friends?

A lover?

He hoped not for that last one.

He valued Ultear's company greatly, respecting her intelligence and drive. He also wasn't so oblivious that he didn't realize that their relationship might eventually head in that direction.

A lover, or heaven forbid _children_ (he was in his mid to late twenties after all, according to Porlyusica's estimates, so it was entirely possible) would just complicate that.

In the meantime he needed to stop creating more problems than he already had, he knew, nodding to his teammate as the blunette walked onto the field.

* * *

"Why is he using Mystogan's staves?" Gray asked in confusion after the battle had started.

"And how did he get them?!" Natsu demanded, just as confused. "They're supposed to be in Edolas with Mystogan!"

"I…I don't know." Ultear shook her head.

The Arc of Time mage narrowed her eyes at the blunette as he levitated off the ground and threw his staves, surrounding Jura before letting loose a five-layer magic circle.

A moment later, Jura's Rock Fist knocked him out of the sky.

"I should have known I couldn't beat you with someone else's magic." Jellal said quietly as he crouched down to the ground, where a yellow magic circle appeared. "METEOR!"

The Fairy Tail mages, both the ones competing and the ones in the audience sweat-dropped.

Why had he even bothered using Mystogan's magic in the first place? It wasn't like he was impersonating his Edolas counterpart, after all.

The blunette in question started flying low to the ground at an enhanced speed, running on the arena's walls around Jura, surrounded by a yellow light.

"IRON ROCK WALL!" Jura shouted, realizing that Jellal was about to hit him.

Jellal managed to dodge the wall in time, going around it and hitting Jura, which made the older man stumble, though he didn't fall.

The Lamia Scale mage grunted in annoyance, separating the wall into large rectangular bricks and sending them after Jellal, who flew higher to give himself more space to dodge, which he did effortlessly.

Until one of them hit, causing him to fall headfirst to the ground.

Jura smirked.

Jellal landed in a crouch. "Perfect timing."

Seven pale yellow magic circles appeared in the sky, forming the constellation of the Big Dipper.

"Woah! How did they get there?!" Natsu demanded.

"He must have drawn them when he was avoiding Jura's attacks." Erza answered.

"May the seven stars bring judgment upon you…" Jellal started quietly, before looking Jura in the eyes and shouting. "GRAND CHARIOT!"

The magic circles glowed brighter before thousands of beams of light flew towards Jura.

"Rock Mountain!" Jura called, clapping his hands together. From behind him, a giant figure made of stone burst from the ground.

The beams hit the guardian, and the arena was covered in a huge cloud of dust with random lightning, and the onlookers had to hold on tightly to something as powerful winds tried to blow them away.

* * *

"WAH!" Natsu shouted, grabbing onto the railing tightly.

"Oh my!" Mirajane said with a giggle.

"That is so MANLY!" Elfman cried approvingly.

The rest of the audience, including the judges, reacted similarly.

* * *

As the dust cleared, the two mages stared at each other.

Jellal punched the ground, cloak waving wildly behind him as if by a wind even stronger than what the audience had just been hit with.

Meredy, Ultear, and Lucy's eyes widened.

"His most powerful spell…" Lucy gasped.

"True Heavenly Body Magic…" Jellal began. "SEMA!"

The clouds above Jellal started circling overhead, creating a dark cyclone. A glowing orb formed at the center, growing, before speeding towards Jura.

"IRON ROCK WALL!" Jura screamed desperately.

But it didn't work.

Jellal's attack burst right through his defense, hitting Jura full on and causing the audience to be blinded.

When the dust cleared (for the second time), the audience saw Jura lying unconscious in a large crater.

* * *

"Jellal Fernandes of Fairy Tail Team A wins, bringing their total for today to 30 points!" Yajima announced weakly, sort of getting over his shock. "Lamia Scale has a total of 6 points so far! But remember, Fairy Tail Team A fought twice today, so they won't have an opportunity tomorrow, leaving Fairy Tail Team B to show what they're made of!"

That over, he slumped over a bit.

He had known the two men would be fairly evenly matched, but he hadn't expected how powerful Jellal's last spell could be with the right person casting it.

True Heavenly Body Magic, indeed.

* * *

Shura whistled, impressed. "I think we'd have more luck against Satan himself."

Yukio glared at her darkly, light glinting off his glasses as he hissed at her. "Don't say his name!"

The older woman raised an eyebrow curiously as the younger exorcist stalked off. "The hell's up with him?"

"Ignore him." Izumo sniffed in disgust from her place beside Shiemi, holding the blonde's hand to comfort her as she berated herself for ever having had a crush on the older boy.

* * *

Stoick's lips thinned, fury dancing in his eyes as he glared in the direction of the more powerful guilds in the coliseum.

His tribe considered Fairy Tail as their enemy already for 'harboring a fugitive,' but now, seeing just how much firepower the rest of the guilds had at their disposal, especially Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel (what stupid names, the chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe thought).

Summoning spirits from another world? The blonde Fairy and white-haired Sabertooth bitch could both do that. He didn't know about the blonde's spirits, since the one she had used had only cut her opponent's hair, but the other one had defeated Astrid in one swift move, leaving the blonde Viking unable to so much as move.

Stoick knew that Astrid had incredible strength of will, so how much power did these mages have that they could stop them in their tracks so easily?

He had come to Fiore contemplating a possible war because his tribe associates mages with Loki, making them all evil in his opinion, but now…

If he did declare war, he wasn't sure that they would survive the encounter, much less win.

But where did that leave his former son?

The boy had joined one of Fiore's magic guilds, and Stoick refused to let him escape punishment.

So where did that leave them?

* * *

Erik had been listening to certain people's thoughts since Lucy's fight, and now that the day's battles had ended he was ready to give his report.

"Nothing to worry about from Toph's friends." He shrugged. "They're just here to enjoy the Games and cheer her on."

Toph rolled her eyes. As if she had doubted them for a second.

Still, she knew that the confirmation would calm the others, and it's not like they didn't have reason to be suspicious of the foreign guests this year.

"The ninja are paying attention to our strengths and weaknesses, but they don't bear us any ill will or have any plans to attack us or the kingdom. It's just information gathering." Erik continued, before glancing at Itachi. "I'll need to talk to you. In private."

Itachi blinked, slightly startled, but nodded his assent as their guildmates (Ultear especially) glanced between them worriedly.

"The Vikings, or at least the leader and the girl who fought today, would be more than happy to slaughter everyone in Fiore, mage or otherwise." Erik scowled, looking at Ryder and Toothless. "You especially."

"Surprise, surprise." Ryder muttered with a resigned sigh, leaning against Toothless as Jack sat beside him, his best friend and boyfriend offering their silent support.

"The exorcists, with the exception of, oddly enough, their competing team and one of the senior exorcists, would be more than happy if they could find an excuse to get Okumura alone." He glanced at Rin. "Your twin…you should probably talk to him."

Rin balked at the suggestion though he was pleased that his friends (and he would bet all the money he had that he knew who the 'senior exorcist' the Poison Dragon Slayer was talking about was) still supported him.

"Why would I do that?!" he demanded.

Erik grimaced. "It's just a bit of advice, feel free to ignore it. I think he's gained a new perspective, that's all."

Rin scowled, before a thought struck him. Erik had said 'their competing team,' which meant that he was including Yukio with his friends when he said that the team didn't want to hurt him.

That didn't make sense. Yukio had betrayed him. Rin was sure of that much.

…So what was going through his younger twin's head?

He huffed as he realized that he might end up taking Erik's advice after all.

The half-demon Son of Satan was startled out of his thoughts when he felt someone touch his hand, and he looked up to see Kozue glance at him in concern.

' _Are you okay?'_ she asked, keeping their mental conversation private.

Rin sighed, but smiled slightly at her and took her hand gently. _'I'm not sure. I'm confused. But glad that I still have my old friends. Angry that the exorcists still want me gone even though I'm not their problem anymore. But I have faith that things will turn out okay, in the end.'_

Kozue smiled at him encouragingly. _'I think they will be, too.'_

* * *

In the meantime, Erik turned back towards the others, doing his best to give Rin and Kozue some privacy.

"Ivan was intending to use one of his mages to drain Lucy of her magic during her fight with Flare." He directed his words towards Makarov, glancing at Lucy. "But she finished the fight before they had the chance. And no, he doesn't suspect him."

That last statement had been in response to a question Makarov was thinking at him, in regards to whether Ivan knew that Gajeel was spying on his activities for Makarov.

The guild master nodded in acknowledgement.

"So it was those bastards that attacked Romeo and the girls." Macao's fists clenched as he teared up a bit. "Damn them…"

Erik grimaced. "Yeah, it was them. It's the weird guy with the mask that did it, but I couldn't hear its thoughts."

"What?" Kinana asked worriedly.

"I think it's a puppet." He continued, taking hold of his fiancé's hand. "Someone is controlling it from behind the scenes. But from Ivan's thoughts, I'm fairly sure that even he doesn't know that."

"We'll have to keep our eyes open and be on the lookout, then." Lucy frowned.

"Yes." Mavis agreed. "There's more to this than meets the eye."

Makarov frowned worriedly, and his frown deepened as he noticed Erik pull Itachi aside, out of earshot of the other dragon slayers.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Yes, five different one on one battles. Since there are two more groups competing I did that to make it easier to match them up for their fights. I've also rearranged the schedule a bit, so don't freak out if a certain fight happens sooner or later than it's supposed to. Or if one of the groups doesn't battle on one of the days, because I'm doing my best to schedule it so when that happens they battle twice on another day to make up for it. One of the groups will have one less battle than the others, though, because I can't figure out a way around that.**

 **Also, yes, Yukino will still be having her battle with Kagura, so that the plotline there doesn't get messed up. It's just that now she's had a chance to show that she's a competent mage against someone who isn't crazy strong like Kagura is.**

 **My reasoning for the people (Hisui specifically) wanting her to fight again is that her fight with Astrid was an easy win, so they wanted to see her up against a mage.**


	37. Games: Day One, Event 2 (Trivia Game)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything but a few OCs. One, Lena, will be introduced in this chapter.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"And that's it for the battle rounds folks, and what an entertaining spectacle those were!" the judge called out after Jellal had secured his victory. "And now for a new addition to the Games…"

Everyone in the stadium, participants and audience members alike, quieted down to hear what he was about to say.

"This year there will not only be one event in the morning before the battles rounds, but another _guild-wide—_ or group-wide, I suppose—event afterwards." Yajima announced, cutting the other judge off. "If Fairy Tail decides to compete, they will only need to send up one competitor, as they're competing as a guild and not as two separate teams in this event."

"Participation is not mandatory, and though the guilds will be scored it will be purely to rank them, and those numbers will not be added to the total from the first event and the battle rounds. It's purely for fun." The other judge said, glaring at Yajima slightly.

"Though it's still an opportunity for the guilds to compete to see who's better, even if they're not being judged by physical or magical strength." Jenny added slyly.

"That's true." Yajima agreed. "And now we'll let the groups decide whether or not to participate…we'll announce the details of the event afterwards."

* * *

"Heck yeah!" Natsu cheered with a grin.

The rest of the Fairy Tail mages grinned (or nodded their assent).

* * *

Yukio glanced at Arthur Auguste Angel, Paladin of the True Cross Order and, as such, leader of the exorcists.

The blonde smirked, running a hand through his long blonde hair. "Sure, we'll play their game. We haven't made a very good showing so far, after all, since we didn't get the chance to battle today. This will prove our superiority."

Yukio and the rest of the team weren't so sure, but they didn't say anything, though Shura made a face at the man behind his back.

* * *

Ivan sneered.

He didn't care if any of these weaklings thought that they were better than Raven Tail. He knew the truth.

His only goal for entering these stupid Games were to try and pry the details of Fairy Tail's greatest secret out of his son, and all he needed was to trap Laxus alone.

This event was unnecessary to his goals.

Raven Tail would not be participating.

* * *

Stoick's eyes brightened at the announcement.

With any luck those damn fairies would sent his _beloved_ former son out to compete.

Unlikely, but possible.

And then it would be time to play.

The Hairy Hooligan tribe would compete.

* * *

In rapid succession, the other magic guilds agreed to participate in the surprise event, though some of their guild members couldn't compete for obvious reasons.

"This should be fun!" Chelia said cheerfully.

* * *

"Alright, the competitors have sent in their decisions!" Chapati, the judge (AN: who's name I just looked up) announced. "And it looks like the only group who opted out was Raven Tail!"

The magic guilds didn't care. Their friendly competitive spirit (or not so friendly in Sabertooth's case) didn't really extend to a guild that was only recently declared legal, having been dark for years.

"And the surprise event for day one is…a trivia game!"

* * *

"LEVY!" nearly the entire Fairy Tail guild cried as one, turning to the startled blunette.

"Okay!" she shouted, raising her hands in surrender, more than a little startled at their reaction. "I'll go!"

Gajeel did his odd little laugh from beside her, amused.

* * *

"Looks like I'm up." Hibiki said, adjusting his sleeve.

"Good luck!" Eve called as the Archive magic-user walked sedately down to the arena.

* * *

Kagura hummed, glancing at everyone in Mermaid Heel thoughtfully.

Who was the smartest in the guild?

"Lena?" Risley suggested.

Everyone looked to the back, where Lena was seated with a book held loosely in her hand.

The girl in question, a purple-haired beauty with pink eyes, glanced up before nodding in acceptance.

* * *

"Rufus." Jiemma, Master of the Sabertooth guild, commanded.

"Of course, Master." The blonde said smoothly with a bow.

* * *

After a few minutes, the competitors were all down on the floor of the coliseum.

"Alright folks, the groups have made their decisions!" Chapati called out.

Levy McGarden for Fairy Tail.

Hibiki Lates for Blue Pegasus.

Rufus Lore for Sabertooth.

Fishlegs Ingerman for the Vikings, because he was arguably the only one with a brain in the entire tribe, now that Hiccup was gone.

Izumo Kamiki for the Exorcists.

Lena for Mermaid Heel.

Yuuka for Lamia Scale, because Jura was still unconscious.

Bacchus for Quatro Cerberus.

* * *

"And the topic of this trivia game will be…testing the participants' knowledge of their guild members!"

Some of the groups were regretting their choice now.

They had chosen their 'champions' based on intellect. And some of them…well.

If they had known the topic they'd have chosen differently.

* * *

Rufus winced slightly.

Getting to know your guildmates wasn't exactly a priority in Sabertooth.

* * *

"Levy, what is your teammate Jet's real first name?"

"Sarusuke!"

"Correct!"

* * *

"Seriously?" Natsu snickered.

Jet hit him upside the head, hissing at him to shut up.

* * *

"Rufus, what is the name of the dragon who taught Rogue his Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic?"

"Skiadrum."

"Correct!"

Rufus let out an unnoticeable sigh of relief.

Master Jiemma didn't take well to failure.

* * *

"Hibiki, what guild was Master Bob in before he founded Blue Pegasus?"

"Fairy Tail!"

"Correct!"

"You go, baby!" Jenny cheered for her boyfriend.

* * *

"Fishlegs, which of the twins on your team is older?"

"Uh…um…Tuffnut?"

"That's incorrect!"

"You idiot!" Ruffnut shouted down at him.

The blonde girl huffed in exasperation. Why did everyone assume her brother was the older one?

He was just as immature as she was!

* * *

"Lena, where did Millianna grow up?"

* * *

Jellal, Erza, and Erik flinched violently at the question.

So many memories…some good, most bad…

Jellal's fists clenched as he remembered his part in keeping Millianna and the others there even after their initial captors had been defeated by the revolution Erza had led after Rob's death had angered her enough to take a stand.

From behind the three, a lone tear slid down Ultear's face.

She would never be able to make it up to him, she knew.

By possessing him, she had ruined his life, and the lives of so many others.

Dealing with that guilt, endlessly (and fruitlessly) trying to make up for her many mistakes…that was the burden she must carry.

A burden that would never be lifted.

* * *

From the other side of the arena, Millianna's eyes widened in shock at the question.

She let out a pained meow, and her guildmates looked at her in concern.

The brown-haired cat lover nearly cried in happiness as Lena glared at Chapati, answering him coldly with a 'none of your damn business.'

She had chosen her guild, her _home_ , well.

* * *

Chapati blinked in surprise at the unexpected coldness.

It was just a general question, nothing more.

He had noticed the other Mermaid Heel mages' reactions, too. Especially Millianna's.

What had caused such a reaction?

He hadn't meant to bring up any bad memories.

"That's incorrect." He forced himself to say, regretting that he'd chosen that question, even at random.

* * *

"Izumo, what are the names of Yukio's parents?"

The purple-haired, red-eyed girl smiled innocently. "His mother's name was Yuri Egin and his father is Satan. Though he was raised by a man named Fujimoto Shiro."

* * *

Yukio's mouth dropped in horror as Izumo answered the question, causing a lot of people to look at him with narrowed eyes, whispering amongst themselves.

Why couldn't she have taken a leaf out of the Mermaid Heel girl's book?!

Why were they so quiet? Why did no one look terrified?

He didn't know that it was because Rin's own demonic heritage wasn't a secret, and they had realized that the two boys were related.

Yukio held back a whimper, forcing himself not to glance in his brother's direction, instead glancing at his teammates, all of whom stared straight ahead, smiling as the judge announced that they'd gained a point.

Did they really hate him so much?

'Not that I can blame them.' He thought, closing his eyes sadly, regretting everything that he had done. 'There's no excuse for betraying your family like that…'

* * *

And on and on it went.

Some of the participants did well (Fairy Tail, Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, and the True Cross Order), and others didn't do so well.

Secrets were told, and laughs were had. People were embarrassed (like Jet) or angered (Yukio) by what was revealed.

But one result of the event was that they all found out at least one new thing about someone.

Except Raven Tail.

Because with the exception of Flare they were a group of bastards.

* * *

"And the final score for Day 1 is as follows!" Chapati announced. "This is the combined score for the first event and the battle rounds!"

1st place is Fairy Tail Team A with 30 points!

2nd place is Sabertooth with 29!

3rd is Blue Pegasus with 27!

4th is Fairy Tail Team B with 8!

(Remember, Team B didn't battle on day one, so they'll have a chance to make it up the next day.)

5th is Lamia Scale with 6!

6th is Raven Tail with 5!

7th is the True Cross Order (exorcists) with 4!

8th is Quatro Cerberus with 3!

9th is Mermaid Heel with 2!

And in last place we have…the Hairy Hooligans with 1!"

"Enjoy your night, everyone!" Yajima called out. "Day two begins bright and early tomorrow morning!"

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Remember, the numbers are fairly low because the scores from second event didn't really count for anything but bragging rights.**

 **The trivia game is very very loosely based on the Capricorn Cult Quiz from the Eclipse arc (or whatever it's called), except without the painful penalties if the competitors get the question wrong. I figured that would be overkill since the second event of the day is supposed to be more fun and relaxing.**


	38. Celebrations, Visions, and a Kidnapping

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything but a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Where are they?" Asuka wondered aloud, glancing around at the roller skating rink they'd found themselves at to celebrate their success on day one.

Hey, at least they weren't at some bar drowning their sorrows.

…Though Cana, his dad, and Wakaba were still managing to get drunk at the attached restaurant.

"Oh, Gray." Juvia sighed at the little girl's comment. She hadn't seen Gray either, and now that she thought about it, Lucy, Erza, Jellal, Ryder, Jack, and a few others were gone, too.

Her blue eyes glazed over as her imagination went wild.

" _The truth is…I love you. I always have." Lucy fell into Gray._

" _I can't! My heart belongs to Juvia!" Gray cried._

" _Give me a chance, that's all I ask!" Lucy begged._

"She could be confusing my beloved and taking him all for herself!" Juvia panicked, tears streaming down her face.

"We're right here Juvia." Gray said dryly.

"Her imagination must not have an off switch." Lucy said from her place on Laxus' lap. She smiled at the Lightning Dragon Slayer when he put a hand on her waist, supposedly so she wouldn't fall…

But mostly to reaffirm that Juvia's little fantasy hadn't come true and _he_ was the asshole lucky enough to be with Lucy.

Gray shook his head before wandering over to Macao. "How are Romeo, Wendy, and Carla?"

"They're all still pretty weak." The older man said warily. "Porlyusica hasn't left their side. I wouldn't have either, but she kicked me out."

Gray frowned. "They'll be alright. They're tougher than they look."

Macao smiled softly at the Ice-Make mage's retreating back.

"So were all of you. Still are." He said quietly.

* * *

"Your majesty, I am pleased to report that the first day of the Games ended without incident." A muscular soldier said, bowing in front of the king.

The royal hummed. "The magic battles were quite good."

Arcadios, the soldier, kept his head down. "If his majesty has any requests concerning tomorrow's battle portion I will happily arrange it."

"Hm…" the king thought about it for a moment. "I would like to see Bacchus for sure…make certain to include him in the match up."

Arcadios was about to ask if the king had a preference as to Bacchus' opponent, when a woman's voice chimed in.

"I, too, have a request." Hisui, princess of Fiore, said in a firm voice.

Arcadios was struck by her beauty and grace, as always, but his most prevalent emotion was the utmost respect he had for her. "Yes, princess?"

"Yukino Aguria from Sabertooth again." She said.

"Eh?" the king turned towards her curiously. "Aguria-san fought in one of today's battles. That would be highly unusual, daughter."

Hisui gave him a small smile. "She's a Celestial Spirit mage like me, papa. I know that Heartfilia-san will be chosen for a few events, but she's the least popular on Sabertooth's team this year, so it's unlikely that the audience or judges will choose her again."

The king smiled softly at his daughter. Beautiful, intelligent, and strong, just like her mother had been.

It didn't matter that she only had a contract with one silver key. She would make a fine queen, magic or no.

Seeing the king's assent, Arcadios nodded. "It shall be done, princess."

"Thank you." Hisui nodded.

* * *

"Who's up next?!" Natsu cheered, standing on a table.

He'd have joined the others out on the rink, but apparently even roller blades gave him motion sickness.

Max was groaning on the floor in front of him.

"Another knock out."

"A seven year training gap and this guy catches up in three months?" Warren asked.

"Have you ever felt completely outclasses? Vjeeter asked his friend.

Gajeel smiled. "Not bad, kid. You want to try your luck against me?"

He wasn't skating either. He had told people that it was too boring, but in reality he had taken one step before feeling like he was going to throw up.

Damn it.

That was Salamander's weakness!

Though he noticed that Laxus wasn't out there either, even though Lucy had asked him. She had stopped when he quietly whispered something to her, and she had smiled sympathetically.

Did he get motion sickness too?

"Ah, give it up up." The blonde man in question sighed. "If you chumps go at it we'll be footing the repair bill."

"What's the deal, thunderbolt?" Gajeel asked, patting him on the head as Levy tried to pull him away. "Trying to impress granddad with your good guy routine?"

"Are you _trying_ to get fried?!" Levy demanded, still trying to yank him away.

"Hey!" Freed came over. "Stop it, Gajeel! I won't allow you to mistreat him like this! Mess with Laxus and you mess with the Thunder Legion as well! Assemble Laxus Bodyguard Core! Laxus needs us!"

He turned towards Evergreen, only to find her completely drunk, sitting on the floor, Cana snickering away on the other side of the table.

"Someone can't hold their liquor!" the Card mage said in amusement.

Freed looked horrified, despite the red flush to his cheeks (which wasn't a reaction to Laxus, as most would assume) to indicate that he'd been drinking as well.

"Now this looks like a party worth joining." A shirtless man with purple armored sleeves and shoulders came up from behind Cana. His hair was tied up in a bun with white ribbon hanging from it, he wore odd earrings that looked like gourds, and he had five small purple triangles tattooed under each eye.

"Oh yeah?" Cana asked.

"How 'bout a couple drinks to pass the time?" he asked, slamming a shot glass on the table.

"Ah…" Cana stood up. "So we're skipping the introductions and going straight to the fun part. You got something to prove, do ya?"

"Hey pal, some free advice: do yourself a favor and walk away." Macao muttered.

"Her alcohol tolerance is about as strong as her daddy!" Wakaba chimed in.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Cana was on the floor, passed out.

To be fair, she had been half-drunk when the competition started.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Macao and Wakaba shouted as the man took another shot.

"I don't believe it!" Jet said as the man stood up and let out a laugh.

"He literally just drank her under the table!" Laki said, wide-eyed.

"I've never seen Cana drink until she drops before." Warren said.

"Thanks for the trophy, Hot Stuff!" the man said, swinging her blue top as he started towards the door, swaying more than a little.

"Do you have a death wish?!" Macao demanded.

"If Gildarts finds out he's gonna be pissed!" Wakaba added.

The man laughed.

"Hand it over!"

"Mocking our guild won't help you either!"

Macao went to punch him, but the man made an odd movement after hitting the ground, and suddenly Macao was the one on the floor, and Wakaba quickly joined him.

"This guy's out of his mind!" Warren cried out.

Erza came into the room, staring at the scene. "Is that you, Bacchus?"

Bacchus groaned as he sat up. "Well well, if it isn't Erza Scarlet." He let out a giggle.

"Still a drunk." Erza observed.

"And when I'm sober you'll still be smokin' hot."

Jellal glared from where he was standing by the back door, where he'd come in with the redhead, and Erza herself sighed.

"You know how to flatter a girl." She said dryly.

"You know him?" Lucy asked curiously.

"I heard you'd gone into hiding a while back; it seemed like such a shame." Bacchus ignored Lucy.

"Something like that." Erza agreed. "What about you? I hear you're actually competing in the Games."

Bacchus burst out laughing. "At first I saw this little trip as an excuse to get hammered and sample the local color. But after watching Warcry make a fool out of himself _and our guild_ , my manly spirit got thirsty for vengeance! I'm entering the Games as a reserve member and I plan to cause all _kinds_ of trouble."

He started walking away. "My soul is shaken and stirred! Maybe we'll have our own little party in a battle round; it'll be nice to settle the score. You know what we say in our guild: you will always be—"

"Wild." Erza finished dryly, rolling her eyes.

"At least you're still good for a chuckle Erza!" Bacchus laughed before leaving.

"Who was that walking distillery?" Freed asked with a huff.

"A member of Quatro Cerberus. He's one of their S-Class mages." Erza answered. "I've run into him on more than a few times over the years, and I know his strength all too well. 'Drunken Hawk' Bacchus, master of the Drunken Chop Hanging Palm. We've fought on many occasions. There's never been a clear winner."

"You mean he's a strong as you?" Macao cried, suddenly glad that he'd gotten off as easily as he had.

"What's it matter?" Natsu asked from where he was fighting with Gray, the two boys pulling at each other's hair. "That's ancient history now. There's no way Erza's gonna lose to a cocky windup."

"Who said Erza's even gonna fight him, nerd?" Gray argued.

"If she won't, then I call dibs on him!" Natsu said around Gray's finger, which was now hooked onto his mouth in an attempt to get him to shut up.

* * *

"Tell me more about this vision of yours. What exactly did you see?" Porlyusica asked.

"It was confusing because it was only bits and pieces. They're never very clear." Carla said, putting a paw up to her head as she tried to remember every detail. "There was a white knight. An enormous magic circle."

"Can you recall any more?" Porlyusica urged her.

"I saw something that defied all reason." Carla said nervously, dropping her arm.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I saw Mercurius come crashing down. And as it happened I thought I heard someone singing. Lucy."

* * *

Valka was out flying with Cloudjumper on her annual expedition to explore new lands when she saw something interesting.

A Night Fury.

She had thought they were all gone.

But even more interesting: the man riding atop the beautiful dragon (wyvern, technically, but she had been raised a Viking and they had thought they were dragons), and the white-haired boy flying in the air beside them with a shepherd crook in his hand.

Valka hadn't been around humans much (or at all) over the last…oh, was it almost two decades now?

Point being, she didn't really remember how to start a conversation.

And so, minutes later, the two males and dragon were unconscious, and they were headed back to the home of the great Bewilderbeest, the king of all…wyverns.

She never had been good at controlling her curiosity.

And that was when she realized that she was now a kidnapper.

Great.

Hopefully these three were friends, not foes.

* * *

 **Please review! Pretty please. :)**


	39. Games: Day Two, Event 1 (Chariot)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters. Nothing's changed on that front.**

 **Borealis: Hehe, I was about to fix that mistake when I realized that I had done it on purpose. The last event of each day is guild-wide, remember? He was already in Crocus, he just wasn't on the team for some reason and only entered as a reserve after Warcry's defeat.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Has anyone seen Team Night Frost (AN: I know, lame name)?" Erza wondered, noting her guildmates' absence.

Lucy's brows furrowed as she thought. "Not since the trivia show yesterday. They usually patrol during the nights, though, since Jellal-nii and his team keep sensing something that feels like Zeref's magic when we're here."

"Oh." Erza calmed down slightly. "They're probably just sleeping, then."

"Probably." Lucy agreed, though she didn't look entirely convinced. "We'll check on them later…"

* * *

"It's day two of the Games and the stands are exploding with excitement!" Chapati announced. "Joining me once again is Mr. Yajima and our new special guest, Sorcerer Weekly's Jason!"

"SO COOL!" the energetic blonde cried out.

* * *

"Did Chapati's hair change?" Lisanna asked in surprise, glancing at the man who now had brown hair.

* * *

"Let's get back to the action as our teams take on the chariots!" he announced. "The point of this game is to reach the final goal without falling off! Simple, right? WRONG! The chariots are constantly in motion, and though at a snail's pace on false move could cost you! Which team will survive this rough and tumble sight-seeing tour through Crocus and be the first to cross the finish line? For those of you here with us at Domas-Flau, we'll be showing the race in crystal-clear Lacrima Vision™!"

"COOL!" Jason shouted.

* * *

The Fairy Tail mages in the audience that weren't participating looked on in horror as the details of the event were given, knowing who Team B was sending out.

* * *

"You've seen a lot in your days," Chapati said, turning to Yajima. "But would you have predicted anything even remotely like this?"

"Well…" Yajima said slowly.

* * *

"Why in the hell did we pick him?" Gray asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, you'd think the name 'Chariots' would be a big clue even for Natsu." Lucy said from where she was standing with Team A, shaking her head in disbelief.

"He was absolutely insistent in participating." Erza said, eyes closed in annoyance.

"Maybe he thought he was gonna get to fight chariots or something." Elfman muttered to Jet, Droy, and Levy, who were having a similar conversation.

* * *

"Uh oh!" Chapati announced. "I don't know what's wrong with Fairy Tail Team B's Natsu, but he can barely put one foot in front of the other!"

The Fairy Tail mages sighed.

"But that's not all! Mere feet away is Sabertooth's Sting, who seems to be in the same boat!"

"I can't imagine what can be causing them to slow down like this." Chapati said.

"I could be wrong but I think they share a common weakness for moving vehicles." Yajima said, hiding a smile.

Maki (Makarov) had told him many times about Natsu's issues.

* * *

"This a common affliction amongst your kind, Rogue?" Rufus wondered.

"I had thought that only Sting and I had trouble with motion sickness. But it seems I was wrong." The Shadow Dragon Slayer replied quietly. 'I'm glad it's not me out there.'

* * *

"Does it affect you too, Laxus?" Mirajane asked curiously, glancing back at her teammate.

"Just don't let Natsu know; I'll never live it down." He replied.

"I probably wouldn't have admitted that if I were you." Juvia noted.

The other two were too surprised that she had spoken in first person to respond.

* * *

"Even the Sabertooth guy's ill!" Levy said.

"Talk about a textbook case of rotten luck. This game is about Sting's one and only weakness." Lector said, arms crossed. "So those other teams have no clue how easy they got off."

"Yeah! Sting would rock their face!" Frosch agreed.

* * *

"Now let's take a look at the groups leading the pack!" Chapati redirected the audience's attention.

"In first place is Toph Beifong from Fairy Tail Team A!"

Loud cheers came from Fairy Tail (regardless of which team they were on) and Toph's group of friends.

The black-haired girl had taken advantage of her competitors' decision to let her make the first step (the idiots), considering that even those who didn't know about her unique way of seeing didn't think it would work since they were on moving wooden surfaces.

The second she had stepped on that second chariot she immediately made a few large rocks hammer at the bottom of the first chariot, knocking the Hairy Hooligan, True Cross Order, and Sabertooth participants out of the running.

Sting wasn't even mad at being disqualified, since he hadn't even intended to finish the race anyway and was just glad to be on an unmoving surface.

Natsu held on by sheer willpower, though he was laying down and drooling on the chariot.

As Toph launched her attack of the first chariot, she used her magic to push her own chariot forward, actually separating it from the long line of chariots and moving it to move alongside it at a much faster pace, bringing up obstacles in the form of 'speed bumps' in the other chariots' path.

The other groups grimaced, especially Black Snake, who had only allowed the girl to go first out of feigned pity and sportsmanship.

"We really should have known better." Yuka muttered to himself with a sigh as they all sped off. He wasn't particularly surprised. This was the girl who'd beaten _Jura,_ after all. He shouldn't have underestimated her. "Guess we're fighting for _second_ place, then."

* * *

"And furthest ahead is Black Snake from Raven Tail, followed closely by Blue Pegasus' Ichiya, Lamia Scale's Yuka, and Mermaid Heel's Risley Law!"

* * *

"Feel the burn!" Ichiya cried.

"I'm surprised someone with _your_ figure can run for this long." Yuka said conversationally, not trying to insult her but merely making an observation.

"Don't underestimate chubby power short stuff!" Risley returned with a smile from her place right behind him.

"Coming in behind them is Quatro Cerberus' reserve member, Bacchus!"

"Man that guy's loud!" Bacchus groaned. "Can't you let a guy work off last night's booze in peace?"

"Feel my WAVE BOOST!" Yuka shouted, knocking Ichiya and Risley back as his magic…well, _boosted_ him forwards. "Good luck using any magic while you're in my shockwave."

Risley grinned. "We're you listening before? Chubby power RULES!"

And she moved, running on the _side_ of the chariot.

"And there it is!" Chapati announced. "Risley's Gravity Change magic! She dodged Yuka's wave and is now making her way towards the leaders!"

Ichiya made a pose. "A magic neutralizing wave, huh? In that case…"

He stuck two tubes up his nose, causing disgusted groans from the crowd. "Watch my Fleet-Foot Perfume Zero Distance Inhalation! It absorbs in style!"

The odor made him immune to the neutralizing aspect of Yuka's attack, and also gave him enhanced speed, which he proved by quickly passing the blunette Lamia Scale mage.

Yuka's eyes widened as he realized that both of them had managed to escape his shockwave and were now ahead of him.

"Wow." Bacchus said. "They're really going all out aren't they? Gets my soul all stirred up, ya know? Well! Guess I better put a little effort into this race, too!"

He raised his foot, and with a powerful stomp he knocked all of the chariots ahead of him off-kilter, unbalancing his opponents and nearly causing them to fall off. "Check this out!"

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Chapati shouted. "Bacchus demolished the chariots with brute force!"

* * *

"Amazing." Erza said, stunned at the display. 'He's even stronger than before.'

Not that that part was a surprise, considering even Max had improved so much that he'd given Natsu a hard time at first.

Speaking of the Fire Dragon Slayer, at this point she had given up hoping Natsu would somehow be able to break out of his sickness and overtake the others.

He was in last place out of the remaining teams, sure, but Sabertooth, the exorcists, and the Vikings would be getting _any_ points, so it could be worse.

The only way he wouldn't get at least one point would be for him to roll off of the chariot, now that everyone else was too far ahead to knock him off on purpose, but she knew that his determination would ensure that he didn't.

* * *

"What is with this guy?" Ichiya groaned as Bacchus jogged past him.

"Catch ya later losers!" the man called back. "Try not to fall off before the finish!"

"That was a dirty trick." Ichiya commented.

"You said it." Yuka agreed.

Meanwhile, Risley had used her Gravity Change magic again, and appeared to be a much skinnier (and taller for some reason) woman, and she clenched her fist angrily. "No one makes the chubby fly."

"What happened to Risley?!" Chapati wondered. "A Gravity Change?"

"THAT'S COOL!" Jason shouted.

Bacchus cackled as he quickly passed Black Snake, who paused in surprise as Bacchus arrived at the end of the line, hopping off the chariot before sprinting to the goal.

"And we have our second place winner!"

* * *

"I didn't know Quatro Cerberus had someone like that in their guild!" Makarov said, surprised.

"Now that's what I call wild." Master Goldmine said contently.

* * *

Toph had been waiting for the last five minutes for someone else to finish.

She could tell who it was from their heartbeat and movements, but also by the stink of his breath.

Damn drunk.

"'Bout time, Dionysus." She complained.

"It's Bacchus." The man corrected her.

"Same difference." Toph waved a hand dismissively. "Roman god of wine, Greek god of wine…you sure live up to the name."

Bacchus smirked at her. "Why thank you. I try."

A few moments later Black Snake appeared, and then Risley, Yuka, and Ichiya, in that order.

Last but not least (as least was the disqualified teams) was Natsu.

* * *

Sting was walking slowly alongside the chariot.

"I don't get it." He said. "Can you explain something to me?"

Natsu glared at him weakly.

"Why did you even bother entering the tournament?"

The pinkette blinked in surprise.

"Seriously. A contest meant to determine the strongest guild in Fiore." The blonde scoffed. "For a long time that was Fairy Tail, and who knows? I certainly think Sabertooth's got you beat, but I'm not the king."

"What're you talking about?" Natsu complained.

"You're obsessed with how tough you are and what the rest of the world thinks of you. What happened to the Fairy Tail of my childhood? The guild that did whatever the hell it wanted. Whenever the hell it wanted. They never _cared_ what anybody else said or thought about them."

Laxus flinched slightly.

 _He_ had cared. More than he should have. And it had very nearly cost him everything.

Natsu grit his teeth. "The reason we're here…is for our friends!"

Sting's dark gray eyes flashed in shock.

"The ones…who waited for us. For all the years we were gone." Natsu continued. "Who fought through the pain!"

He remembered loosing Lisanna, and imagined that it had been much worse with all of them missing and presumed dead by most of the world. "And the heartache! We abandoned them (albeit unintentionally). But even so, they stayed strong! And they kept our guild together. We're doing this for them!"

Team B was, anyway.

Team A had entered because they didn't want to end up nearly bankrupt as they had, and 30 million Jewel went a long way to keep them afloat.

Lucy smiled proudly, not bothering to wipe away the tears she felt flowing down her cheeks.

"And I'm going to make sure everyone here knows." Natsu glared, shouting at this point. "FAIRY TAIL NEVER GAME UP! NOT FOR AN INSTANT! SO THERE'S NO WAY I'M GONNA GIVE UP NOW!"

'Oh Natsu!' most of the Fairy Tail mages (many of whom with tears in their eyes) thought fondly.

Kozue smiled widely, and Erik would never admit it, but even his eyes had softened and he had a tiny smile that only Kinana and _maybe_ Laki would be able to spot.

Everyone in Fairy Tail was smiling. Gajeel, Laxus, Itachi, Charlotte, Raven…even Toph from where she was waiting for her guildmate at the finish line.

And so, when Natsu finally stumbled off the chariot and, suddenly recovered from the ride, jogged across the finish line, the crowd cheered louder for him that anyone else.

* * *

"HE DID IT!" Chapati cheered. "Fairy Tail Team B's Natsu scores…7th out of 10th place, leaving Fairy Tail Team B with 4 points and the teams in 8th through 10th places with none! As such the scoring for Chariot is as follows…

1st is Fairy Tail Team A with 10

2nd is Quatro Cerberus with 9

3rd is Raven Tail with 8 points

4th is Mermaid Heel with 7

5th is Lamia Scale with 6

6th is Blue Pegasus with 5

And 7th is Fairy Tail Team B with 4 points!

Meanwhile, the Sabertooth guild, the Hairy Hooligan tribe, and the True Cross Order come away from this event with zero points!

* * *

Master Jiemma's eyes narrowed angrily.

He could deal with Sabertooth ranking last against other magic guilds, considering that Sting was unable to do anything to control his motion sickness. It was the drawback of having dragon slayers compete.

However, being on the same level as _non-mages?_

That was an entirely different story.

He would give the blonde one more chance.

And if he failed…well.

Maybe that damned feline cheerleader and fanboy of Sting's would be of some use, after all.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **I don't know if Toph can feel the vibrations of the earth well enough to do this when she's on a wooden platform, not touching the earth directly, but for the sake of this event she can. I'll use the reasoning that the chariots have metal, and as those who've watched Avatar: The Last Airbender know, she can bend metal as well as earth, so she used that to 'see.' And she doesn't have to be touching earth to manipulate it.**


	40. Games: Day Two, Battle 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"So you're sure Natsu will be okay?" Meredy triple checked.

"Why wouldn't he, it's just motion sickness?" Porlyusica asked, irritated. "Stop worrying and let him get some rest."

The pinkette flushed slightly.

"What about Wendy and Romeo?" Lucy asked, biting her lip.

"They're coming along nicely." Porlyusica assured the group.

"At least you're up now Carla." Lucy said with a smile, noticing the white Exceed staring at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Carla murmured quietly.

A few moments later, the two girls went back to the arena, where the others were waiting, with promises that they would check back later.

Porlyusica hummed, glancing at Carla. "You're not going to say anything to her?"

"I just don't think it would do any good." Carla admitted. "They'd never believe me. Not about a future like that anyway."

"I suppose it's just as well that you don't, then." Porlyusica said dismissively, turning back around to the medicine cabinets. "Besides, you don't seem to believe it yourself."

Carla perked up. "You're right! II don't believe it! How can I? It's too bizarre to be true."

The white Exceed smiled. "It wasn't a premonition. Just a silly dream."

If only she could make herself truly believe that that was all it was.

* * *

"And the part you've all been waiting for—the battle portion!" Chapati called. "Today's first match is Black Snake, the dark python of Raven Tail, against Lamia Scale's own Toby Horhorta! It's serpent versus hound! Which one of them will end up top dog?"

"I expect to see a clean fight out there, you understand?" Yajima said warily, knowing from Maki what Ivan's guild was like.

"Toby is so ferocious!" Jason cheered.

* * *

"Hey guys, did we miss anything?" Lucy asked cheerfully as her and Meredy got back to the others.

"They've been taking their sweet time." Elfman said with a huff from his seat a few meters away with the other non-participating Fairy Tail mages.

"It's just about to start." Gray said from where Team B was hanging out. "That dog dude's going to be going in for Lyon's guild."

"It's the Raven Tail mage you should watch." Erza said with a frown.

"You know he won't play fair." Lucy agreed with a sigh, remembering that Erik had heard their plans to sabotage her fight with Flare, even if she had won too quickly for them to get the chance.

She glanced over at where the Raven Tail guild was standing, only to see Flare herself staring at her, fresh bruises and scrapes on her face.

"Yeah, I see you too, blondie." The redhead girl said, eyes slightly more wild than before.

Lucy's heart clenched painfully as she realized what had happened to the other woman, and Erik did the same thing as he heard the two girls' thoughts, nodding stiffly in Lucy's direction to confirm her suspicions.

'We _need_ to get her away from them!' the blonde thought viciously.

Erik smirked in agreement.

"Flare…" a large figure said from in front of her. "I won't tolerate any more embarrassment."

"Y-yes sir!" she said, before pointing at Lucy. "But that blonde bimbo won't stop staring at me!"

The hulking man grabbed her face, squeezing her cheeks together painfully. "Are you asking for another beating?"

"N-no! I won't argue again!" Flare promised. "Please have mercy on me!"

Hearing this, Erik's mind became occupied as he thought of ways to inject the redhead's guildmates with his most agonizing (and lethal, if he could get away with it) poisons.

* * *

"ULTRA POISON NAILS!" Toby shouted. "MEGA MEGA JELLYFISH!"

He swiped at the Raven Tail mage with his elongated green claws, and Black Snake dodged nimbly before disappearing in a whirl of sand.

"He just vanished!" Toby cried.

Jura's eyes widened and he stood up. "YOU FOOL! He's using Mimic Magic!"

A cloud of dirt and dust surged towards Toby, hitting him multiple times before the sand came back together and formed Black Snake.

* * *

"That freak stole my spell!" Max said with gritted teeth.

"He must be able to mimic other types of magic or something." Laki realized.

Mavis smiled. "Mimic Magic? I haven't seen that in a long time!"

"Come on doggie, kick his butt!" Yui cheered happily.

"OBLITERATE THAT RAVEN TAIL SCUMBAG, AND I'LL PAY YOUR WEIGHT IN GOLD!" Makarov shouted at Toby.

* * *

Toby howled. "You're stronger than I thought you were."

"You're not so bad yourself." Black Snake replied with a creepy smile.

"I wish I had a cool name like Black Snake!" Toby continued.

Black Snake slumped in disbelief. "It's just my alias."

"YOU MEAN YOU LIED TO ME?!" Toby demanded angrily.

"What are you talking about?" his opponent asked.

"Alright!" Toby launched another attack, Black Snake once again dodging. "If I beat you you've gotta tell me what your real name is, deal?!"

Black Snake gave an eerie chuckle. "I'm fine with that. But what if I win?"

"Then I'll tell you _my_ Super Special Secret That Nobody Knows™!" Toby cried.

"That's intriguing, it's a deal!" Black Snake agreed, pupils widening greedily.

* * *

"Our competitors seem to have struck a friendly wager." Chapati said with a smile.

"I wouldn't consider their secrets a surprise." Yajima said. (AN: or at least that's what I think he said.)

"COOOOOOL!" Jason screamed.

* * *

From the Quatro Cerberus section, Bacchus smirked.

"A little gambling? This could make things interesting."

* * *

In quick succession, Toby lost the match.

"The dust has settled, and we can clearly see Toby on the ground!" Chapati said as Black Snake chuckled darkly. "That's it, folks! Black Snake slides away with a win for Raven Tail!"

The crowd cheered.

* * *

"Very impressive." Erza muttered.

"No doubt." Gray agreed. "I get the feeling he was holding back."

Erza grimaced in agreement.

"Not only will those guys cheat to win but they've got real power on their team." Lucy said with a sigh.

"We're stronger." Ultear said calmly.

The rest of Fairy Tail nodded firmly in agreement.

* * *

"Look at the scoreboard and you'll see Raven Tail climb towards the top of the rankings!" Chapati said.

* * *

Toby whimpered, tears pouring down his face.

"Now, you owe me a secret." Black Snake said silkily.

"It's my sock! It just disappeared, man!" Toby cried. "It's been driving me crazy because I feel like it's right under my nose! But I can't seem to find it anywhere!"

The ENTIRE audience stared at him in disbelief, glancing at the sock in question, which was hanging on a necklace.

Right under his nose, indeed.

"I'm so ashamed!" Toby cried, not noticing his own guildmates looking at him, horrified at his stupidity. "I've been keeping it to myself for months now!"

The man paused as Black Snake tapped his own chest, and he gasped as he looked down at his own, only to see the very sock he'd been looking for. "Has it really been right here all along?! I-I don't know how to thank you! I'm just so happy to see it again!"

* * *

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Chapati wondered.

"Thankfully not." Yajima said dryly.

"Such EMOTION!" Jason cried. "WHAT AN ENDING!"

* * *

"What a good boy." Erza said, wiping at her tears. "I'm so happy for him…"

"This is way too stupid to cry about!" Gray said in disbelief as he looked at the redhead.

Even Jellal was looking at her oddly, though he didn't say anything.

* * *

Lamia Scale's guild master grunted angrily. "I'll spin you."

* * *

Black Snake walked up to Toby, offering him a hand.

Toby looked up, tears still in his eyes.

"What is this?" Chapati asked. "After fighting fang and claw, are these two going to shake hands?"

As Toby reached up, Black Snake snuck, tanking the 'necklace' off of his neck before shredding the sock.

"Guest not!" Chapati said unnecessarily.

"NOOOOO!" Toby cried even louder, shaking his head rapidly.

* * *

Lamia Scale's team glared at the Raven Tail mage angrily, and both Gray and Jellal had to hold Erza back from attacking the black-haired asshole.

* * *

"And to add insult to injury, Black Snake rips up the prized possession!"

"You should never have told me how much that stupid rag meant to you." The Raven Tail mage said as he walked away. "Dumb move."

* * *

"What is his problem?!" Evergreen demanded with a huff. "That was completely uncalled for!"

"Once again Raven Tail is showing their true colors." Wakaba muttered around his cigar.

"Well, what do you expect?" Macao asked. "These are the kind of people that would work for a creep like Ivan."

"The poor dog guy was already beat, that was just mean." Happy said.

* * *

From the shadows, Arcadios watched, nodding to a soldier when he was approached.

He turned back as the second battle round was announced.

* * *

"Let's head on to round two of today's battles." Chapati said. "First, from Quatro Cerberus, it's the aptly-named god of wine, Bacchus! Fighting a member of Team Fairy Tail B!"

Team B paid even more attention at that.

"So it's one of us." Erza said with a sigh.

"What if they call out Natsu's name?" Mirajane asked.

"Then we wake him up." Gray said bluntly.

"OY!" Cana shouted angrily, Gajeel grabbing her wrist so she didn't try to go down there to try and fight him herself. "SOMEONE AVENGE ME! I DON'T CARE WHO IT IS!"

"Oh my." Mirajane said with a smile. "Relax, Cana!"

"I'm sure Gray could get the job done." Juvia mused.

* * *

"JUVIA LOCKSER!" Chapati called.

The blunette pouted, since she wouldn't get to see Gray in action, but lifted her chin proudly as she went down to the arena floor.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **I know, this chapter is very close to the original. Neither of the Fairy Tail teams are battling in this round and no changes because of that, so I figured I'd leave their reactions to Toby and Black Snake's fight the same.**

 **Remember, Hisui interrupted when her father was about to request Erza to fight Bacchus, so Bacchus' opponent was chosen normally. And Fairy Tail Team B is having two battles today to make up for the lack of one on day one, so it's still one of them. Not that Elfman (who Arcadios thought the king meant) would battle anyway, since he's not even a reserve member in this.**


	41. Games: Day 2-Battle 2 (Bacchus v Juvia)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Bacchus smirked at Juvia, who stared back blankly.

* * *

"You can do it, Fairy Tail!" a man in the audience cried out.

"Yeah?" a woman from beside him said. "Because I'm not too sure about that…"

* * *

"Hey…" Bacchus said. "What do you say we make our own bet, like those last guys did?"

Juvia raised an eyebrow. "Continue."

"You're a smokin' hot number…"

Juvia's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

* * *

Gray glared at the Quatro Cerberus mage furiously.

"Your point?" he grit out with narrowed eyes.

From behind him, more than a few people snickered.

Oh, Juvia would have loved to hear that!

He could deny it all he wanted, but sometimes it was easy to tell that Juvia's affections weren't quite as one-sided as they had initially thought.

If only she could get over that fangirlism, he'd probably give her a chance…

* * *

"If I win the match…you keep me _company_ tonight." He smirked lecherously.

* * *

"Scumbag." Asuna, Charlotte, and Sinon hissed angrily.

"That is seriously messed up!" Happy protested.

Evergreen shook in fury. "What nerve!"

* * *

Bacchus set aside his guard, still sitting on the ground. "Now it's your turn. If you win?"

"Not happening." Juvia cut him off, settling into a battle stance. "I'm saving myself. That's hardly something I would gamble anyway."

* * *

'Saving herself for Gray.' All of Fairy Tail (besides the man in question) and Lyon thought in unison.

* * *

Bacchus scowled in disappointment. "Cana, then."

He quickly found himself on the receiving end of a terrifying glare.

"Juvia will NOT sell her friends!" she hissed.

* * *

Cana smiled sadly, remembering how Juvia had sacrificed herself while the two of them were stuck in Freed's rune trap back during the Battle of Fairy Tail.

Still, Evergreen was right…the NERVE of that horrid man!

Oh, yeah, try and win her in a fight and take away her free will?!

Even if there _was_ a world where Juvia agreed and he won, there was no way in hell she would ever consent to that, so he'd be a rapist.

* * *

Bacchus scowled. "You've got nothing I want, then."

He could've listed any of the beautiful Fairy chicks next, but the resolve in the blunette's eyes was obvious. He wouldn't get anywhere.

He had to withhold a shudder at the glares he was getting from every woman in the stadium, Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus (which was mostly made up of women), and Mermaid Heel especially.

* * *

From the infirmary, Natsu sat up with a yawn, finally recovered fully from the Chariot event. "I slept like a log."

He noticed that the infirmary was empty. "Hello? What's the deal? Did they all take off or something?"

The pinkette sniffed at the air suspiciously before standing up. "Somebody else was in here. I can smell 'em."

He ran out, tracking the intruder by scent as he went.

"HEY, YOU!" he shouted, seeing…four masked men carrying Wendy, Romeo, Porlyusica, and Carla in their arms.

"Ah crap!" one of them cried. "It's that guy from Fairy Tail! We must've woken him up!"

"Stop right there!" Natsu shouted, lunging towards them angrily. "You're not taking them anywhere, ya here?!"

"Run!"

"Hurry!"

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!" Natsu bellowed.

"He's crazy fast!" one of the men panicked.

"What?!" another cried. "Seeing him in that last game, I didn't think he could run at all!"

"I got this!" another snarled, pulling out a gun. "Let's see if he can outrun a bullet!"

Natsu punched him in the face before he could shoot, knocking him out. "Get outta my way! Get back here! I won't let you take them!"

"He's catching up! This guy is insane!"

"What do we do?!"

"We've got to dump these other four!" another realized.

"Idiots! We're supposed to grab the girl in the infirmary!" the leader shouted.

Natsu's eyes sharpened at the information.

"But this old broad, the brat, and the cat ain't girls!" one protested.

"Then why did we take them?!"

"Who hired you to do this?" Natsu asked darkly, suddenly right behind them.

"AH!" the group cried. "We're doomed!"

Natsu kicked their butts, the resulting dust cloud remaining unnoticed as the audience at the Domas-Flau coliseum watched the fight.

* * *

"Woah!"

Juvia hummed absentmindedly as Bacchus tried yet another attack, only for her to once again remain completely unharmed by using her Water Body.

"Juvia can stay like this far longer than the 30 minutes she has been given." The Rain Woman said calmly, tilting her head slightly. "In fact, she can end this at any time…"

Bacchus growled at her.

'All that time training to master my fighting style…' he thought angrily. 'And it doesn't do a damn thing against this chick! This is so not wild!'

* * *

"She's got this in the bag." Gajeel said contently with a smirk, leaning against the wall.

"He's more on your level than hers, Titania." Laxus grunted.

"Yes…" Erza smiled. "I might be able to beat Juvia with my Water Empress Armor, but Bacchus is helpless to land a hit. And Juvia wasn't even fighting seriously against me during the S-Class Trials. Of course, he's only just getting started…but I'm not sure even his secret weapon will help him here."

'She wanted me to get promoted.' Gray thought uncomfortably. 'So she didn't really try, even if it cost her the title. I really wish she wouldn't do that…'

Erik raised an eyebrow in the Ice-Make mage's direction.

Was that why he hadn't given her a definitive answer?

He wanted Juvia's first priority to be herself, not him.

* * *

"She still hasn't landed a single attack…" Charlotte mused.

"Neither has he." Ultear smiled. "The difference is that he's trying and failing, while she isn't bothering at all."

"He's tiring out." Itachi added quietly, watching the fight with his red and black Sharingan eyes. "Juvia, on the other hand, isn't even sweating."

Meredy smiled at her blue-haired friend proudly.

* * *

"I've never seen this before!" Chapati said, stunned. "No offense to Miss Lockser, but I had thought that this would be a rather one-sided fight!"

"It would appear that you underestimated her." Yajima chucked. "Juvia Lockser was formerly of Phantom Lord. She was a member of their strongest team, the Element Four."

"Three guesses which element, and the first two don't count!" Chapati laughed, eyes wide. "Wow! I didn't know that. But what is she using?"

"A technique of hers that is rather unique." Yajima explained. "She calls it Water Body. As you can see, it causes her entire body to turn into water. She used it during the Hidden event, too."

"Can all water mages do that?" Chapati wondered, impressed.

"SO COOL!" Jason cried, before turning towards the other two. "She isn't a water mage."

"What?" Chapati asked, wide-eyed.

"She uses Water much like Toph Beifong of Fairy Tail Team A uses Earth." Yajima told him. "They aren't the same style of elemental magic, but for comparison's sake, their mastery over their respective element is quite similar."

Jason nodded with a beaming smile. "Juvia agreed to let me interview her after she joined Fairy Tail. She's SO COOL!"

* * *

"He hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Gray said, sweat-dropping.

"Nope!" Lucy laughed. "Still as loud and enthusiastic as ever!"

'I think you mean annoying.' The rest of the guild thought.

* * *

From the stands where Toph's friends were sitting, Katara, another Water user (her style was more alike Toph's than Juvia's was), looked on in interest.

"I wonder if she'll agree to teach me that!" she said with a smile, clasping her hands together as her blue eyes gleamed.

Aang, Sokka, and Zuko eyed her warily as Suki snickered at them.

* * *

"What's with the way this guy moves?" Gajeel wondered, eyebrow raised.

"His style, surprisingly enough, is part of an extremely rigorous technique, focusing magic to his palms." Erza explained. "He's very methodic. He uses this style in conjunction with a very specific style of martial art he's mastered, known as Chop Hanging Palm. This particular art style specializes in devastating palm strikes, all delivered from that unique stance he's taking."

'Devastating, huh?' Gray wondered with a frown. 'Good thing his attacks can't hurt Juvia, then.'

Erik rolled his eyes with a groan.

Geez, for someone who was so Tsundere, Fullbuster sure thought about Juvia a lot.

"Bacchus has taken this a step further." Erza continued. "He's modified this technique into his own method of fighting, one that he calls Drunken Chop Hanging Palm."

"He's drunk?" Mirajane asked, surprised. "He doesn't look like it."

"This guy gets hammered when he fights?" Gray asked. "Sounds like Cana."

"TAKE THAT BACK, FULLBUSTER!" the Card mage screamed from the sidelines.

Gray ignored her.

If she could call him out on his stripping habit, he could call her out for her alcoholism.

"That's right. The Drunken Hawk's moves are unpredictable." Erza said. "The alcohol also increases his destructive power and dulls his sensitivity to pain."

She sighed. "Of course…he hasn't had a drop to drink yet."

Gray's eyes widened in shock.

The guy was this powerful (the attacks might not have been hitting Juvia, but from how he'd destroyed the Chariots and the damage the arena floor was taking now, no one could deny his power) _without_ his 'juice?'

* * *

"That explains the craziness that went down at the bar." Wakaba realized.

"Man." Macao leaned against the railing. "Guess we really did get lucky."

"He hasn't even touched the bottle he's got down there."

"He's sober?" Cana demanded.

"Which means he's hardly even trying." Lisanna realized.

* * *

Bacchus sighed. "I wasn't going to do this…"

He made to step towards his guard.

* * *

"JUVIA!" Gray shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "DON'T LET HIM DRINK!"

Juvia stared at him (her beloved Gray) in surprise, but nodded, managing to stop her daydream for the time being, and turned to face Bacchus, who had paused at the shout.

"Juvia will end this now." The blunette decided, raising an arm towards her opponent. "WATER LOCK!"

A sphere of water suddenly encased Bacchus, causing the man's eyes to widen in shock.

* * *

"What's this?" Chapati wondered, turning towards Yajima and Jason.

"I…I don't know." Yajima's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Another unique move?"

"Water Lock!" Jason cried. "SO COOL!"

* * *

"The last time I used this…" Juvia said with a frown. "It was against Gray-sama. I was still in Phantom Lord."

Bacchus faltered, beginning to run out of oxygen.

"I don't use it often, only on special occasions." The blunette continued. "Despite your crass words…it has been an interesting fight."

'So not wild.' Was Bacchus' last thought before he blacked out.

* * *

Juvia immediately released the Water Lock, causing Bacchus to fall a few feet to the ground.

With a swift movement, she easily removed the water from his lungs and throat.

No need for him to drown, after all.

* * *

"Yeah!" Natsu cheered from where they were watching.

"It's amazing!" Romeo shouted.

Wendy beamed. "Go Juvia-nee!"

"Now, children, shouldn't you get back in bed?" Carla asked.

Wendy smiled. "I'm fine."

Romeo grinned with a nod, conjuring up a small blue flame.

"And it's all thanks to Grandineey!" Wendy said, turning to Porlyusica with a smile.

(AN: I don't think I added that scene, so for those of you who don't know Porlyusica is the Edolas version of Grandineey, Wendy's adoptive mother, the Sky Dragon. She ended up in Earthland decades before Mystogan did.)

"Didn't I tell you not to call me by that name?" Porlyusica sighed before turning to Natsu. "So Natsu, about these hoodlums…"

 _Flashback_

" _We were just doing a job, that's all!"_

" _Yeah, for someone in Raven Tail! We were supposed to bring them the girl that was in the infirmary!"_

* * *

Natsu's fist clenched. "Raven Tail is gonna pay."

The others frowned.

"The girl who _was_ there, past tense." Wendy noted. "That seems weird."

Romeo bit his lip, turning to Porlyusica. "Which of the girls came to visit us?"

The old healer frowned thoughtfully. "Lucy and Meredy were the most recent. Besides that, most of them visited you three at some point."

Carla's eyes widened, remembering her vision. _'Lucy?'_

* * *

Deep in the castle Mercurius, a similar conversation was taking place.

"I'm afraid the operation was a failure."

"You idiot!" Arcadios said with gritted teeth. "Did you not _tell them_ what their target looks like? How else could they have taken the wrong girl?"

"My apologies, sir." The soldier winced.

"No matter." Arcadios muttered with a sigh. "We do have a Plan B to fall back on. What has become of the kidnappers?"

"We've taken them all into custody, sir."

"Ignorant to the truth, I hope." Arcadios said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, sir." The soldier answered. "They still believe they were hired by the Raven Tail guild."

"Luckily we can use the rivalry between Raven Tail and Fairy Tail to our advantage." Arcadios mused. "And when the opportunity arises we _will_ have a Celestial Spirit mage in our possession."

He smirked. "To use in the Eclipse Project."

* * *

"What's wrong?" Porlyusica asked, staring at Natsu. "What's with that ghastly expression?"

"Raven Tail's dirty tricks are really making me mad." Natsu said, glancing at Wendy, Romeo, and Carla, their first victims during the Games.

"Me too!" Wendy announced with a frown.

"Isn't their master a relative of Makarov?" Carla asked.

"Yeah…" Romeo muttered.

"His son." Natsu finished darkly. "Laxus' dad."

"What does that have to do with this?" Porlyusica asked.

"I don't know." Natsu admitted. "But it is definitely personal."

And that, she couldn't disagree with. Not after having witnessed Ivan's fall firsthand.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Last chance to vote on what's going to happen with Yukino! So far she'll be rejoining Sabertooth.**


	42. Games: Day 2, Battle 3 (Mira vs Jenny)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything but a few OC's.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters. The new hinted yuri pairings are in this chapter, too, though feel free to ignore them.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"We've got to do something about those jerks in Raven Tail." Natsu decided. "They can't just get away with this!"

"It's as if they're trying to take us out, one by one." Erza said darkly. "And we still don't know where Ryder and the other two are…"

"Actually…" Carla paused. "I'm not entirely convinced that's true."

Wendy, Natsu, Erza, and Lisanna glanced at her.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Wendy asked.

"How can you say that after everything that's happened?" Erza demanded with a frown.

"The men from earlier told Natsu that they were hired by Raven Tail to kidnap Lucy for some reason." Carla said sharply. "But their plan ended in failure. Not only did they choose the wrong target but Natsu easily stopped them."

"What's so strange about that?" Lisanna wondered.

"We don't know that they were going to do with Lucy after they caught her, either." Erza said.

Lucy, who was there with Meredy because they had been probably targets, grimaced. "I don't want to know."

"Wait, why are you so sure it's Lucy they were after?" Natsu frowned, glancing at his blonde friend and fellow pinkette. "Meredy was in the infirmary, too."

Meredy frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe…but I agree that they were probably after Lucy. Especially with her connection to Laxus…"

"That's if it really was Raven Tail." Erza mused.

"The method they used raises a red flag." Carla explained. "They have a wizard who can instantly drain magic power. That's the one that attacked Wendy, Romeo, and I before the Games even began."

"Yes, that's right." Erza frowned. "The same wizard who was going to sabotage Lucy's battle with Flare."

"If Raven Tail has a wizard who possesses that kind of skill, one would think that they would choose to involve him in the abduction."

"Maybe they didn't want to seem suspicious." Gray theorized. "If they sent one of their guys out right before the battle people would notice."

"The organizers want everyone close by for the battles, since they don't announce who's fighting until right before the match." Lisanna added.

"I think you're giving them too much credit." Wendy agreed with a small smile at Carla.

"I don't think they're concerned with how they do things as long as someone gets hurt in the end." Lucy said with a scowl.

"No matter what, if they're targeting us both in and out of the arena, we must remain on guard at all times." Erza declared. "No one should go anywhere by themselves. Got that, Cobra?"

' _Yeah, Titania.'_ The Poison Dragon Slayer muttered, having established a telepathic connection with the group to keep in touch with the rest of the guild. Warren and Kozue were focusing on Raven Tail itself. _'I'll pass it on.'_

'What troubles me the most about this,' Carla thought once Cobra had broken the link, remembering her premonition. 'Is that it was likely Lucy they were going after.'

* * *

"It's a lovely day here at the Games and it's about to get even lovelier!" Chapati shouted. "Welcome to the Battle of the Beauties, with Fairy Tail B's Mirajane Strauss against Blue Pegasus' Blonde Bombshell, Jenny Realight!"

* * *

"Hey, we're back." Lisanna greeted.

"You're just in time." Cana said with a smile. "Your sister's up."

Lucy smiled. "I think Mira's going to be just fine…"

"Jenny's got a lot of crowd support." Cana said. "I heard she used to be number one on Sorcerer Weekly's Hottest Girls in Magic list. Guys go a little nuts over her."

"Rumor has it she idolized Mira, so much that she modeled her career after her." Lisanna said.

"It's weird because now she's technically older than Mirajane." Romeo mused as he walked up with Carla and Wendy. "Since none of you aged in the last seven years…"

Pantherlily turned towards him in surprise. "Oh. Seems like someone's feeling better."

"Carla!" Happy cheered.

"Yes, we're fine." Carla said. "So apparently those of us who aren't competing have to stay over here during the match?"

"Yes." Pantherlily agreed. "Team members are on the balcony. Close enough that we can all still hear each other, but still separated. Teams A and B are standing together because the organizers weren't expecting multiple teams from the same guild to make it, so they were unprepared."

Carla sighed.

"Oh, I was so worried-!" Happy cried, lunging for her.

She dodged easily. "Oh, knock it off, or you'll miss the next battle."

Carla stared down at the arena worriedly. 'I can't keep worrying about what I saw in my dream…for now I need to support my guild and cheer them on!'

"Come on, Mirajane!" she shouted. "Fight with everything you'll got!"

But then, her mouth dropped open in horror as she saw the 'battle.' "What's going on here?!"

"You're not gonna like it." Happy warned.

Makarov stared at the scene with hearts in his eyes.

"Get a hold of yourself, Master." Romeo said with a sigh.

That broke Carla out of her shock, and she slapped the Master upside the head, nodding at Romeo, who grinned back at her.

* * *

Down on the arena floor, Mirajane was kneeling in a swimsuit. "Do you like what you see?"

The crowd cheered.

"Ooh…" Jenny said, running her hands through her hair and showing the underside of her breasts in her own blue swimsuit.

The crowd cheered even louder.

* * *

"What kind of battle is this?!" Gray and Natsu demanded.

"I don't know!" Wendy cried.

"It's weird." Happy said. "I mean, I know they both used to be pin-up models and all…"

"But this is a place for mages to show off their skills, not prance around in teeny-bikinis." Pantherlily continued.

"Disgraceful!" Carla huffed.

* * *

Mirajane modeled another swimsuit. "Hey, boys!"

"Hi." Jenny followed a moment later.

The crowd cheered.

* * *

"Is this normal?!" Wendy cried.

"I'm pretty sure this is a special arrangement for the two of them." Lucy assured her. "At least…I hope so."

* * *

"It's only the second day and we're already having to dip into our reserve members?" Hibiki asked.

"Yeah, that kinda sucks." Ren agreed. "But Ichiya's in bad shape."

"Stuck the tubes too far up his nose during Chariot, and burst a few blood vessels." Eve recalled. "Got a pretty bad nosebleed."

* * *

"You've definitely still got it." Jenny complimented.

"Thank you! It feels nice to be doing this again." Mirajane admitted.

"I've gotta admit, I was actually a little surprised you agreed to do this with me."

"Mhm." Mirajane hummed. "I don't really like slugging it out with people, so this is better. I much prefer taking a more peaceful approach if it's possible."

* * *

"Two bodacious babes who are both masters of Transformation magic?" Chapati announced. "This is truly the stuff that dreams are made of! Somebody pinch me!"

"I'm really feeling like a young man today!" Yajima blushed, holding up a small sign with an 'M', as opposed to Chapati's 'J'. Jason, of course, had one of each.

"I can't wait to see what they'll change into n—" Chapati started, but was interrupted.

"NOT SO FAST!" three women jumped down to the arena floor.

"You don't expect us to just let these bubble-headed bimbos hog all the attention?" Risley asked, already in her Gravity Change form with Beth and Araña beside her.

"We are strong and beautiful chikas as well." Araña agreed.

"Team Mermaid Heel is the ultimate in girl power." Risley and the green-haired woman said, with Beth just sheepishly blushing from her place next to them.

"This is embarrassing." The younger girl muttered.

The judges stared at them in surprise.

"Well I definitely did not see this one coming!" Chapati said. "Mermaid Heel has joined the party!"

"Hold it you guys!" two voices called. "All these girls are missing the most important thing! They don't have the love to back it up!"

"If you want love, then you've got to give love." Sherry said.

"And we're both bursting at the seams with it!" Chelia said cheerfully.

"And now two contestants from Lamia Scale through their bodies into it!" Chapati called.

"Wow." Levy said skeptically. "That takes guts, I guess."

"What are you ladies doing just watching from the sidelines?" Mavis cried.

"What do you mean by that?" Levy asked warily.

"Do you think we should go down there?" Lisanna asked, surprised.

"Are we supposed to just always have a swimsuit handy?" Cana asked.

Levy and Lisanna's eyebrows raised, glancing at the red bikini top Cana was wearing.

"No, silly. But you never know what might happen." Mavis said with a smile. "So you should be ready for anything. I have one for all of you!"

Swimsuits rained from the sky around her.

"Pay attention, boys." Makarov whispered to Macao and Wakaba. "This is why we must never, NEVER, question the infinite wisdom of our First Master."

"Yeah, she really seems to know how to have a good time." Romeo said obliviously.

"You shouldn't just stand here like a bunch of party poopers!" she went to the balcony. "Let's all go down there together!"

"For real?" Toph groaned.

"There's no reason we should stand idly by while our competitors are taking the spotlight." Erza said with a smile.

* * *

"Since my body is made out of water, I can fill out a bathing suit better than any of these other girls." Juvia said with a smile, suddenly in a light purple/blue bikini and pigtails.

"Ugh, you're gonna do it, too?" Gajeel asked.

"A woman must do whatever she can to fight for her true love!" Juvia declared.

"Good luck with that." Gajeel muttered sarcastically.

* * *

"This situation has gotten pretty out of hand, wouldn't you say?" Mirajane asked.

"Oh yeah, but it's all in good fun, and the fans are totally eating it up." Jenny agreed, though her smile had dimmed slightly.

* * *

"If you were looking for a heaping serving of fanservice, then ladies and gentlemen, the Domas-Flau is definitely the place you want to find yourself today!" Chapati announced.

"Unless we want an actual riot on our hands, we have no choice but to let this madness continue." Oddly enough, Yajima didn't sound mad at that.

Jason was ecstatic, as always. "This is amazing! Oh man! The Sorcerer Weekly cover story! I'll call it 'The Big Battle of the Busty Bathing Bombshells!' It's so hot, and COOOOL!"

"Well folks, this is still a strictly one on one event, so Mirajane and Jenny will still be the only ones scored!"

Jenny was ahead by one point.

* * *

"That's quite the alliteration." Lucy said, eyebrows twitching in annoyance at Jason's comment.

She was wearing one of her own swimsuits that she'd requipped as opposed to getting one from Mavis, so she wore a black bikini set with gold stars.

Levy posed awkwardly, before giving up. "Why the heck are we all down here demeaning ourselves?"

Cana, however, was in her element in a green, yellow, and orange bikini set, laying down on the ground.

"Come on, lighten up!" Mavis encouraged. "This is a nice break from fighting."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I just don't understand why a ghost would be so into this." Cana said, staring at the First.

"Makes total sense coming from the person who started this crazy guild in the first place." Lucy said with a laugh.

"Is there a reason you're standing so close?" Erza asked Evergreen, who was indeed right in front of her.

"As the rightful Queen of the Faries I simply can't be upstaged." The brunette explained.

* * *

"Wardrobe change: school swimsuits!"

The girls all found themselves in plain blue one-pieces.

"This is starting to get a little too crazy for me." Levy decided.

"Wendy doesn't look too out of place in hers."

Wendy groaned. "I feel out of place!"

"And now, bikinis and thigh-highs!" Chapati shouted.

"It's weird, it covers more skin but it's more embarrassing." Lucy sighed, resigned.

"Who likes girls in glasses?!" Chapati yelled, blushing as all of the girls suddenly had glasses on their faces.

"This is pretty much the look I go with every day." Laki mused.

"Cats!"

Asuka giggled from her place between her mom and Cana, all three of them wearing cat costumes, the adults' of course being far more revealing.

"I feel absolutely ridiculous in these!" Carla almost cried, a cat ear headband covering her real ears.

* * *

"Bondage gear!"

"Sometimes love has to _hurt_ a bit!" Sherry said.

"You're scaring me!" Chelia almost cried.

"So, Titania, have you accepted your place beneath me, yet?" Evergreen asked.

"You DARE speak to ME?!" the redhead returned.

Evergreen bowed quickly and apologized.

* * *

Romeo looked on nervously.

"This is freaking me out." He muttered. "I think Lucy-nee and _maybe_ Erza are the only ones who should have a whip in their hands…"

Macao, Wakaba, and Makarov sighed.

"You're missing the point." Wakaba groaned.

"You'll get it someday, son." Macao assured him.

Romeo looked at them like they were crazy. 'I already get it. You're old perverts!'

* * *

"How about a blushing bride challenge?" Chapati asked, still flushed. "So ladies, grab a lucky guy and squeeze them into wedding dresses!"

* * *

"I appreciate the help, Master!" Mirajane said cheerfully, wearing a beautiful dress. "Thank you!"

"I will do whatever it takes to secure a win for my guild." Makarov told her.

* * *

"This'll be us, soon." Ren whispered to Sherry, who blushed darker than her dark pink hair.

* * *

A few feet away, another engaged couple was dancing slowly, ignoring the craziness around them.

"Next time, it'll just be you in a wedding gown." Erik whispered, pressing a kiss to the corner of his fiancé's mouth.

Kinana blushed happily, perfectly content to spend the rest of the event (or maybe the rest of time) in Erik's arms.

* * *

"May I have this dance?" Eve asked Chelia cheerfully.

"Sure!" the fourteen year old pinkette agreed cheerfully, accepting the hand.

Hey, there was a huge age difference, but it was entirely innocent and they didn't like each other that way, so who cared if they partnered up for the sake of an event?

* * *

"Well, you were at hand." Jenny teased her boyfriend.

"That turns me on even more." Hibiki teased back.

* * *

Rogue bit his lip, glancing at Raven, who hadn't bothered to go down with her guildmates, and was instead still on the balcony reading.

Would he have had the courage to defy Master Jiemma and go down there to keep her company if the half-demon Fairy had decided to participate?

He glanced at his guildmates.

Sting looked bored, but he noticed that Yukino was staring wistfully down at the group below.

Well, at least he wasn't the only one.

* * *

"OY!" Toph shouted up at the stands. "SPARKY!"

Her friends giggled as Zuko sighed jokingly before leaping over the balcony to keep her company. "Hey, Toph. I've got to say, the dress…doesn't really suit you."

Toph grimaced in agreement, feeling the foreign material.

"Never again." She swore.

Zuko wrinkled his nose at the tuxedo he somehow found himself in. "Yeah, me neither."

* * *

"Not many guys to choose from." Sinon realized.

"No, it would seem that there aren't." Charlotte agreed, before seeing that Izumo and Shiemi from the exorcist group had partnered up (one of their friends, Shima, pouting from the sidelines). "There's an idea…"

And in short order the two girls decided to just be each other's partner for the event.

* * *

"That's an interesting development." Kirito mused as he watched Sinon talk with Charlotte Phantomhive, obviously partnered up.

"Who knows?" Asuna said with a smile, glancing at the two girls fondly. "Neither of them has any patience for guys...well, except you in Sinon's case, but she's not interested."

"Neither am I." Kirito assured his girlfriend.

* * *

Kozue blushed slightly as Rin took ahold of her hand.

Neither noticed the stares (and in Rin's case glares) they were getting from the exorcists, who thought that the girl must not know what Rin was.

* * *

"Oomph!" Lisanna said in surprise as she felt something heavy land on her head.

She glanced up to see Bickslow resting his head on hers. "Comfortable?"

"Not really." The Seith mage said, sticking his tongue out.

Lisanna waited. "…Then are you going to move?"

"Nope." The masked man denied.

"Well, okay then." She smiled.

* * *

Evergreen sniffed. "Well, I suppose if I must."

Elfman smiled slightly, making sure she didn't see it.

The woman could try all she wanted, but he'd seen under that snobby mask a few times, and he wasn't so easily fooled anymore.

Maybe he should ask her out on another date soon…

After all, their first one went pretty well, in his opinion.

* * *

"Come on, Natsu!" Meredy laughed, trying to pull Natsu with her as he grabbed onto the railing.

"Ultear will kill me!" the Fire Dragon Slayer panicked. "She didn't let you do the Bachelorette thing…"

"Because she wanted me to have a choice." Meredy rolled her eyes playfully. "Now come _on,_ Natsu. I don't bite."

Natsu whimpered in fear, glancing at Ultear, who was luckily being distracted by Itachi.

* * *

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he saw his brother partner up with another Fairy Tail mage for the event.

Had Itachi-nii finally found himself attracted to someone?

So there was a heart still under there after all…

* * *

Levy sweat-dropped as Droy and Jet fought over her before turning to glance at Gajeel.

"How come you're not pairing up with anybody?" Pantherlily asked. He was holding both Asuka and Yui's hands, both girls dressed in cute little flower girl dresses, Asuka in pink and Yui in a light silver (she usually wears white, but can't here since white is supposed to only be worn by the bride, or so I've heard.)

"This is stupid." Gajeel grunted. "I'm just gonna take a nap for a while."

Pantherlily glanced at Levy, noticing that she was watching, and winked encouragingly.

Levy sighed. "Well, I suppose—"

She was cut off as she was suddenly lifted off of the ground, and she squeaked, looking down to Gajeel as Jet and Droy went off to cry in a corner.

"Gajeel-kun!" she grunted, hitting his back as he put her in a fireman's hold. "What're you doing?!"

"Couldn't put you on my shoulder the right way cause of your dress." He muttered.

"And this is BETTER?!" Levy screeched, disbelieving.

* * *

"You guys aren't going out there? Romeo asked the group of men hiding in the stands, which included his father, Wakaba, Max, Nab, and Reedus.

"No. If something should happen…" Macao answered.

"If my wife happened to see me…" Wakaba muttered, terrified.

Romeo sighed, going off to find Wendy.

After all, if Carla and Happy paired off together because they were both Exceeds, then surely it wouldn't seem weird that he asked Wendy, since they were the same age, right?

* * *

"Juvia, I'm the only one for you!" Lyon declared, sweeping the blue-haired girl into his arms. 'Wait for it…'

"Lyon-sama!" Juvia gasped. "But Juvia is—"

Before she could finish, Gray came out of nowhere.

'There he is.' Lyon thought with a satisfied smirk.

Of course, Gray misinterpreted the smirk, and launched a flying kick at his rival, knocking him away and catching the Water mage in his arms.

"It's no fun letting a teammate get snatched by a jerk from another guild." Gray muttered petulantly.

"Juvia is so happy!" she cheered, throwing her arms around Gray and knocking them both down.

"Gah!" Gray panicked. "Not so tight, woman!"

* * *

Erza smiled from where she was leaning against one of the arena walls, looking on fondly as her friends and family had fun.

She was startled when someone tapped her shoulder, and at a glance found Jellal standing next to her with a small smile.

"May I?" he asked quietly, offering a hand.

Erza blushed brightly, requiping into a wedding dress that she'd seen on one of her missions, fallen in love with, and bought. "Of course."

* * *

Lucy beamed as Jellal actually asked Erza to be his partner.

Honestly, she wasn't sure he'd be able to follow through with it, so she was happy to see that she was wrong.

Erza made a beautiful bride.

Hopefully Jellal's bride, someday.

Lucy would like having the redhead as a sister-in-law…Jellal was practically her brother, after all.

Hearing familiar footsteps come up from behind her, she smiled.

"Let's see…" she said teasingly. "Who should I—"

"Need a partner, blondie?" Laxus asked, and she turned to see him dressed in white. "Saw you send away Loke…"

"Of course I did, he has Aries." Lucy smiled. "And alas, I too am taken these days…"

"Oh?" Laxus raised an amused eyebrow. "By who? I'll need to have a talk with him."

Lucy laughed brightly, causing Laxus' expression to soften.

"You look nice." She grinned at him.

"So do you." He muttered awkwardly.

* * *

A few moments later, the girls' fun ended when the Lamia Scale guild master, a short old woman, decided to 'show them what a real woman looked like' and ruined it for everyone.

Porlyusica face-palmed from the infirmary, where she was watching via lacrima vision.

"And with that crash course in reality the mood in the arena has been brought back down to Earthland." Chapati muttered gloomily. "The fun is over, folks. The other teams have begun to clear out."

"AW!" the crowd cried, disappointed.

* * *

"The circus is gone and it's just you and me again." Jenny said.

"Aw, that's too bad. It was fun while it lasted." Mirajane replied, cupping her cheek.

* * *

"We need to wrap this thing up, so let's move on to the final round in this exhilarating match!" Chapati announced, glancing at the scoreboard, which showed that the two ladies were tied at 30 points each.

* * *

'Yes!' Jenny thought triumphantly. 'Sorry Mirajane, but no matter what the judges want us to do, I have an airtight strategy for victory.'

"It all comes down to this!" the blonde said out loud.

"And I'm not gonna lose!" Mira said, determined.

"How about we make things more interesting and have our own bet?" Jenny asked. "After all, everybody else today is doing it."

"I'm game." Mirajane agreed. "So what do you have in mind?"

"The loser will pose for Sorcerer Weekly wearing absolutely nothing but her birthday suit!" Jenny declared, pointing at Mirajane.

* * *

Nosebleeds.

Nosebleeds everywhere.

* * *

"That's crazy." Lisanna said quietly with a slight blush.

"Sorry…but I'm a little conflicted." Macao said. "Who do I cheer for?"

"Don't know, it's hard." Wakaba added.

* * *

Mirajane's smiled stayed as she tilted her head cutely. "You're on!"

* * *

"WHAT?!" the crowd shouted.

"Unbelievable!" Chapati cried, sweat pouring down his face. "Things like this, everybody is a winner!"

* * *

'Hn. She took the bait.' Jenny thought. 'Mirajane has been the apple of the public's eye for a long time now, so she may have more fans in the crowd than I do, but those judges up there are the ones handing out the scores.'

She thought of a dinner meeting she'd had with Chapati, Jason, and Yajima a few weeks prior.

'So _I_ did a little digging to find out what really turns them on, and it seems like they're into younger girls, which is perfect for me. Mira may have been around before I was, but she hasn't aged in seven years, so now she's actually the younger one. And as an added bonus, a hot model coming out of retirement looking exactly the same _and_ finally getting naked will sell a ton of magazines for Sorcerer Weekly. It's obvious who they'll choose.'

* * *

"Now…our final theme will be…combat gear." Chapati said.

* * *

In an instant, Jenny glowed brightly. 'So sorry for being naughty, but there is no way I'm gonna lose this one. It's just _too_ perfect!'

She ended up in dark pink and purple mecha-style suit. "You really think you can handle my combat form?"

Mirajae smirked. "Yeah, I'm not too worried about it."

And with that, her hair started flying wildly around her, and her magic, now visible, glowed purple.

"And since we're making a bet like everyone before us, why don't we continue another trend, and finish off this round with a battle of strength like they all did too?" Mirajane asked.

Jenny froze. "Uh…"

Mirajane, meanwhile, had finished her Take Over.

* * *

"What the heck is that?!" Rin demanded.

"It's one of Mirajane's demon forms." Erza answered. "Satan Soul: Sitri. Her ultimate Satan Soul…besides Haphas."

(AN: because I'm not sure which one is stronger, since she was actually _banned_ from using Haphas.)

'And the exorcists called _me_ a demon?!' he thought wildly, not knowing that the exorcists themselves (or at least his allies in the group) were having similar thoughts.

* * *

"I agreed to the terms that you set." Mirajane said in a much deeper voice than normal, flames billowing behind her. "So I would appreciate it if you would be a good sport and agree to mine."

Jenny's eyes widened even more as she began to shake in terror. "Wait, are you serious?!"

Mirajane glared. "Yes."

She moved towards Jenny, and suddenly she was on Jenny's other side, her opponent flying through the air.

* * *

Natsu and Gray gasped.

The Trimen already looked defeated, as they should.

* * *

"AH!" Jenny cried.

* * *

"Just like that, this beauty battle becomes a brawl!" Chapati cried out as the crowd cheered.

"I suppose this is more keeping with tradition." Yajima allowed.

"AND MIRAJANE TAKES THE BIG 'W!'" Chapati shouted.

* * *

"Yay!" Happy shouted.

"Way to go, Mira!" Lisanna yelled proudly.

"I'm okay with it." Macao said with a grin.

"Either way we win." Wakaba agreed.

"I am so ready for next week's issue!" they shouted in unison with hearts in their eyes.

"And _that's_ how we do things in the Fairy Tail guild!" Natsu declared.

"But wasn't this supposed to be a beauty contest?" Gray wondered.

"Most of it was, anyway." Erza said with a smile.

"There was no rule against fighting." Lucy agreed with a shrug. "Mira just took advantage of the judges' oversight."

"That seems to happen quite a bit with this guild." Wendy let out a laugh.

* * *

Mirajane ended her Take Over, turning to Jenny. "Sorry about that. But if this will make you feel any better, I'll buy an issue when it comes out."

Jenny bawled, covering her chest with her arms as she realized what she'd have to do.

* * *

"That win adds another 10 points for Fairy Tail Team B, and Blue Pegasus gains zero!" Chapati called.

* * *

"Didn't know she had it in her." Gajeel grunted.

"Yeah, she's brutal." Laxus said, looking away. "That's why you always want to stay on her good side."

"Understood." Jellal said warily.

"Wow, that was amazing." Juvia said with a smile as Mirajane walked back up to them. "Nicely done."

"Thanks you guys, but that whole experience was more than a little embarrassing." Mirajane said with a light blush, covering her cheek.

"Yeah, well I bet that last part felt pretty damn good." Gajeel snickered.

* * *

Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy frowned thoughtfully.

No sign of that mysterious Zeref-like presence, yet...

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **I've already written the scene with Ryder, Jack, Toothless, and their kidnapper, but this chapter ended up too long for me to tack it on at the end, so you'll probably see it next chapter.**

 **Note: this is the ABSOLUTE LAST CHANCE to vote on Yukino! Again, those who have already voted CANNOT vote again!**


	43. Games: Day 2, Battle 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **POLL RESULTS ARE IN! I've removed any mention from previous chapters so people don't vote on it thinking it's still open.**

 **Flare will be joining Fairy Tail (which I already announced a few chapters ago), while Yukino will be rejoining Sabertooth. Sorry, guys. That doesn't mean that her and Lucy, and the Fairy Tail and Sabertooth guilds in general, can't be close.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"And the fourth match of today's Games is about to begin!" Chapati called. "Shiemi Moriyama from the True Cross Order versus the Hairy Hooligan's Fishlegs Ingerman!"

* * *

Astrid scowled.

Were they really sending _Fishlegs_ , of all people, out there? Large and strong he might be, but he wouldn't hurt a fly!

Then she saw his opponent. A short female a couple years younger than them wearing a kimono, with large breasts and a sweet cherubic face.

…Okay, maybe Fishlegs would manage to win this one.

How could he call himself a Viking if he couldn't beat such a defenseless-looking girl?

* * *

"Match, begin!"

* * *

Neither of the blondes moved.

* * *

"Hi!" Shiemi smiled. "Nice to meet you!"

"You too." Fishlegs returned with a smile. "No hard feelings?"

She wasn't a mage, so the chief wouldn't get mad at him for interacting with her in a non-negative way, right?

"None." Shiemi confirmed, before whispering a phrase.

Suddenly, a small humanoid figure appeared on her head. It was light green with a few darker green spots, a small lily pad for a hat, two leaves for a tail, a yellow flower for a right eye, and the left eye was also yellow but instead of a flower it was just shaped like a flower petal.

"Nee." She greeted her adorable familiar with a fond smile.

Without prompting, the little creature nodded, and an odd-looking flower grew out of its body.

Nee plucked it out, handing it to his Tamer.

Shiemi turned back to Fishlegs, who was looking on curiously, fascinated by the small creature.

"What is that?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Nee is a Greenman. Some exorcists hold contracts with demons." Shiemi explained, before walking towards him slowly, holding out the flower. "He can grow plants out of his body, like this flower. Here."

She handed him the flower, and Fishlegs took a small sniff.

"Nice." He grinned, before he started to feel a bit dizzy. "Wait—"

The large man fell over backwards, passing out from the fumes the plant was giving off.

* * *

"And with Shiemi Moriyama's victory, the True Cross Order earns 10 points!" Chapati announced.

* * *

"Sorry!" Shiemi cringed as Fishlegs awoke a few minutes later, in the infirmary so that a healer could check to make sure that he wouldn't experience any side-effects. "I was at a rather big disadvantage."

Fishlegs chuckled sheepishly. "It's fine. I'm sure you could've chosen a much deadlier plant, so thanks."

Shiemi nodded, acknowledging his point, but still felt a bit bad.

Fishlegs, meanwhile, was internally cringing as he imagined the reactions he was about to get from Astrid, much less the rest of the tribe.

Not that he blamed her; it was hardly her fault.

* * *

When Ryder regained consciousness, it was to find himself in a dark place he'd never been before.

He blinked slowly, dazed, only to see Jack's unconscious form a few feet beside him.

With a sharp gasp, he crawled to his boyfriend, placing a hand on his chest to make sure that he was still alive.

He was.

Ryder let out a slow, relieved breath before shaking the white-haired winter mage gently.

"Jack?" he tried, holding the other boy's pale, cold hand.

Jack groaned quietly, and Ryder caught a glimpse of blue as his eyelids fluttered open.

"Come on, Jack." He coaxed. "You need to wake up."

"Ry?" Jack muttered, arm lifting slightly as he tried to grab ahold of Ryder.

"Yeah, it's me." Ryder assured him, putting Jack's arm around his shoulders and lifting him up.

Jack yawned, eyes finally opening up fully. "Ugh. What…where are we?"

"I don't know." Ryder admitted, looking around the cavern. "What do you remember?"

"Another wyvern…with a rider." Jack stretched a bit. "Did something to us. Sleep magic, maybe."

Ryder looked around nervously, wondering where Toothless was.

His thoughts were interrupted as the two males saw a dozen or so wyverns peeking out at them from the shadows.

"Great." Ryder muttered as a few came towards them.

Immediately, his hand went to his belt, where the hilt of a sword could be seen.

Seconds later, a blade of pure fire emerged, and he waved it around his head slowly, making sure not to get Jack.

The wyverns watched, utterly entranced by the show.

When the wyverns shook off the effects of the flames, one growled, and Ryder realized that it wasn't working. He took something else from his belt, something that released a green gas, and it lit on fire in a circle around him and Jack.

Appeased, the wyverns stopped.

Ryder walked towards one of the bigger ones slowly, arm outstretched to greet it like he had Toothless when he had met the Night Fury, but stopped when he heard someone behind him.

The person, who wore a strange wyvern-like outfit with a spiked mask and odd-looking staff, tilted their head as they stared at Ryder curiously, moving strangely like a wyvern as they stepped closer.

"Who are you?" Ryder asked.

Jack's grip on his own staff tightened, ready to defend if the stranger attacked them.

"Do you even understand what I'm saying?" Ryder asked as he received no answer.

In response, the figure slammed the staff on the ground, the noises it emitted calming the wyverns in the cavern immediately.

A moment later, a large four-winged wyvern appeared from behind the stranger, dropping Toothless in front of the two males.

"Toothless!" Ryder shouted as he and Jack ran to the black wyvern, hugging the Night Fury's head. "It's okay, it's okay…glad to see you too, bud. You really had me worried there."

Jack murmured his own soothing words, carefully checking Toothless for injuries and making sure that his flight gear was in working order. Well, that was definitely more Ryder's thing, but seeing if it _looked_ like it had been tampered with.

Toothless gave them both a grin, licking Ryder's face and then Jack's.

Ryder groaned. "Ugh. You _know_ that doesn't come out!"

"That's what you get for wearing leather armor." Jack pointed out with a smirk. "Gets out of my clothes just fine."

Ryder stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend.

The strange person made another movement with the staff, and suddenly all of the wyverns in the cavern aside from Toothless gathered fire in their mouths, which acted like lanterns, lighting up the room.

Toothless growled and wrapped his body around Ryder and Jack as the figure approached them slowly, and Jack aimed his staff at the figure…

Only to be surprised when the person dropped both the staff and the shield they'd been holding.

Of course, the person still came closer, and when Toothless was about to do something, they waved their hand in front of his face, causing his eyes to roll to the back of his head as he turned over belly-up, though he was still conscious.

The stranger came towards Ryder, about to touch him despite his awkward attempt at a protest, when their eyes widened behind the mask as the figure saw a small white scar on his chin, and the person backed away.

"Hiccup?" a woman's voice asked, muffled by the mask. Even so, the disbelief and joy was evident.

Ryder and Jack tensed.

How did this woman, this _wyvern rider_ , know the name he had discarded years ago?

The stranger took off the mask, showing a middle-aged woman with long auburn hair pulled back into braids, large green eyes, pale skin, and a thin face. "It couldn't be…after all these years. How is this possible?"

"Should I—should I know you?" Ryder asked warily.

"No. You were only a babe." The woman glanced away. "But a mother never forgets."

Ryder inhaled shakily as he realized that the woman's green eyes were the same shade as his own.

Jack sighed quietly, sitting down next to Toothless and scratching under the wyvern's chin. "Plot twist."

The Night Fury grumbled contentedly.

Jack glanced at the woman with a small frown.

He was more than happy that Ryder had apparently found a blood relative that would obviously accept his unorthodox relationship with Toothless, but he couldn't help but wonder.

The woman herself hadn't known that Ryder (he knew how his boyfriend hated his former name, so he refused to even refer to him as such in his thoughts) was her son until a few moments ago, so what was with the kidnapping?

Ryder was about to back away from the woman, about to say something (he didn't know what), when the woman shushed him.

After a moment, she smiled slightly. "Come."

And she swiftly moved towards a tunnel, clearly expecting all three of her 'guests' to follow.

* * *

"H-hold on!" Ryder cried, stumbling after his _mother._ "Wait just a minute!"

"Quick, this way." She said, otherwise ignoring him. "Come!"

"You can't just say something like that and run off!" Ryder grunted, having trouble following with his fake leg. "You're my mother? Do you grasp how insane that sounds?"

"Come quickly." The woman responded yet again.

Ryder tried to follow, but the obstacle in his path was too steep to get over, his metal leg unable to find purchase.

Jack, who was sitting on Toothless' back, pulled Ryder up with him, and Toothless sent Ryder ( _his_ rider) a smug grin.

Ryder relaxed against his boyfriend's back, but the sea of questions wouldn't stop. "I thought you were dead! I have questions! Where have you been all this time? What have you been doing?"

Jack and Toothless exchanged an amused, knowing glance.

"Everyone thinks you're dead!" Ryder called. "Everyone thinks you were eaten by—"

He was cut off as Toothless caught up to his mother (Valka, his mind whispered), leaving the tunnel and emerging from a huge, beautiful clearing, with wyverns as far as the eye could see.

"Wyverns." He finished, eyes wide as he and Jack dismounted, walking forwards.

Hundreds of wyverns, of all ages, playing on the ground or flying in the open space. The area was mostly a light blue…was that crystal? Ice? But the rest was green with plants and flowers.

"What is this place?" Jack gasped, just as awed.

The two startled, seeing Ryder's mom and her dragon hanging from up above them.

"This is where you've been for twenty years?" Ryder realized.

Valka nodded, with a small, hopeful smile.

* * *

Raven, who had been sent along with a few others to try and find their missing friends, paused in her flight as she saw a strange object a few dozen meters below her.

Slowly descending, she grimaced, realizing what it was.

The purple-haired half-demon picked the spiked metal helmet up carefully.

Ryder.

…This _better_ not be Raven Tail's work again.

Raven felt annoyed just sharing part of their name.

Still…maybe she had a spell in one of her books that she could use to track the trio.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **This is officially my longest story!**

 **Next: Yukino Aguria vs. Kagura Mikazuchi**


	44. Bonus Chapter: Christmas!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few original characters. Though there are a couple of lines from We Are Family by Keke Palmer.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters, I guess.**

 **MERRY (not quite where I am but close enough) CHRISTMAS!**

 **And the appropriate salutations for everyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, of course.**

 **Sorry I haven't updated recently, I've just been really stressed out. And I took a seasonal position at a retail store with my hours constantly changing, so…yeah.**

 **Anyway, I realized that the bonus chapters, omakes, or whatever you want to call them that I had in the original, I had completely forgotten in this. For those of you who've read the original, you know that there was a chapter where the people trapped on Tenrou got gifts from missed birthdays and other gift-giving holidays, even though none of them aged.**

 **So here's a Christmas chapter!**

 **No, Laxus' Exceed egg will not be in this. I decided not to include her in this story for various reasons.**

 **Also, note that this does not take place during the Games where I left off. It's out of time.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Makarov Dreyar looked around contently at his children (or grandkids, since many of them called him gramps).

Kinana, he was happy to see, had finally found her place, and was kissing her fiancé under one of the many mistletoe that Mirajane had set up.

Asuna and Kirito were under another, with Sinon holding Yui in her lap by the fire as the two ate sugar cookies and listened to a Christmas story that Levy was reading. Bisca, Alzack, and Asuka were with them.

Jellal was doing his best to evade Meredy's attempts to get an oblivious Erza, who was eating a piece of strawberry cake, under the mistletoe, which was as hilarious as it was concerning. Who knew the pinkette was so creative?

He made a note not to get on her bad side.

Cana had initiated a drinking game with heavily spiked eggnog, which luckily made the participants sleepy enough that even in their inebriated states they shouldn't do much damage.

Mirajane and Rin were putting the finishing touches on the Christmas feast, something that Asuna had been helping with until Kirito pulled her aside for a moment.

Lucy and Laxus were in the library, snuggling up in an armchair under a warm blanket, Gajeel was poking at Levy as the girl tried to finish telling the story (which caused her audience to giggle, especially Yui, who was reminded of their date at the library where Levy had been the guest storyteller), Macao and Wakaba were gazing around at the 'youngsters' and reminiscing about their younger days…

'First…' the Third and now Sixth guild master of Fairy Tail thought to himself, eyes tearing up slightly. 'You would be so proud…'

* * *

The Strauss siblings cried tears of joy as they each received their main gift.

A necklace for Mirajane with a female figure, one half having a halo and angel wing while the other had a horn and devil wing.

Lisanna a charm bracelet with some of her most used Takeover forms and a few other charms.

Elfman a black sweatband to go on his wrist with the Fairy Tail emblem embroidered in white.

All of them contained a lacrima that would store their most precious memories, and were enchanted to be near-indestructible and booby-trapped so that no one but them could take them off.

To the elder siblings, who had blamed themselves for Lisanna's death for years, and Lisanna, who had found herself trapped in a world without her real siblings, her memories growing more and more blurry as the years passed…

Such a gift was priceless.

* * *

Juvia almost _cried_ when Gray opened one of his gifts to find a wrist cuff that acted as a sort of caster magic version of Requip…

Meaning that her beloved wouldn't have any trouble finding clothes after he stripped.

There would be no reason for her to bring them back to him…

Wait, no.

He would still want those clothes back, wouldn't he? The Water mage imagined he spent a lot on clothes.

And this way her seemingly never-ending stream of love rivals wouldn't have as many chances of seeing him naked, either!

Meanwhile, she could plan dates for the two of them, imagining herself wearing the new outfits and jewelry (mostly in blue, white, and silver colors) that she had received.

* * *

Raven hummed thoughtfully, using her telekinetic abilities to pass out her gifts.

"Eh?" she heard after a moment, and turned to find Rin staring at his gift in confusion.

The purple-haired girl withheld a smirk when he yelped.

His hands shook as he touched his ears, finding them to be round again like they had been before his demon half had been awakened, instead of sharper like they had been. His teeth had also shrunk in length.

Rin shifted slightly in his seat, oddly relieved to feel that his tail was still there.

"For infiltration missions." She said, causing her fellow half-demon to jump. She didn't comment, instead looking at him with a blank expression. "The bracelet is enchanted. Just take it off if you want to go back to normal."

And with that, she gracefully walked away, leaving Rin to stare at her in wonder. And gratitude.

She could deny it all she wanted, but he knew that the bracelet wasn't just so he would have an easier time when he needed to blend in.

No. She knew that he went through bouts of shame about his demon heritage (not that her and Charlotte didn't occasionally).

He smiled slightly to himself, a song lyric running through his mind.

 _'Cause we come from everywhere…searching for ones who care…somehow we found it here…we found us a home…'_

* * *

More than a few people backed away from Cana slowly as she cackled at her last gift.

Oh, she absolutely _loved_ the alcohol everyone but the minors had given her, but the last one?

An enchanted flask that could hold a never-ending amount of alcohol.

 _Perfect._

No more chugging directly from barrels!

* * *

Toph cackled as she opened her gift from Zuko.

She wasn't much of a reader, being both blind and impatient, but she was pretty sure she could manage to read a book of the history of the Earth Rumble VI (the Earth-bending tournament she'd been competing in for years), which had been translated into Braille.

The black-haired girl couldn't wait to find out what they'd written about her, the infamous Blind Bandit.

Oh, Sparky knew her well.

It was a lot better than the book of vegan recipes Aang had sent her.

Not only was she proudly a meat-eater, but she couldn't cook. What had Twinkle-Toes been thinking? Or drinking?

Ah well. She'd just put it in the guild hall's kitchen so Mirajane, Kinana, Asuna, and Rin could use it if they wanted.

* * *

'I don't know for sure if these will work for you…' Kozue projected towards Erik with a curious look in her large, hazel eyes. 'But they did for me when I tested them out.'

Curious despite himself, the former dark mage opened the bag to see a pair of black noise-canceling (or would it be noise isolating?) headphones.

"Huh." He grunted, prying apart the package and trying them on.

Comfortable, and…holy shit.

"Is this what silence is like?" he wondered aloud, but he couldn't even hear his own voice, just a muffled sound, like a normal person would hear when they were underwater.

The dragon slayer took them off, sending the telepathic mute a grateful glance, quirking his lips slightly in a semblance of a smile. 'Thanks.'

'You're welcome!' she said cheerfully, beaming as she went to go find Rin, knowing that Erik wasn't really fond of social interactions.

* * *

Natsu and Happy got a lot of gift cards, for the most part.

See, everyone had had the idea to get them food, but as they had no idea when the Tenrou Group would return, they didn't want the food to rot. So they got the pair gift cards to their favorite restaurants, which they made sure didn't have expiration dates.

They also got brand new fishing rods, which the pair were ecstatic about, wanting to try them as soon as possible.

* * *

Levy, bless her heart, looked like she was about to spontaneously combust as she stared, eyes glazed over, at the mountain of books in front of her.

"L-Lucy…" the blunette said shakily, reaching out blindly for something to ground her to reality. "Am I dreaming?"

Lucy beamed at her friend, taking her hand. "Nope! When I went to dust your books and make sure they weren't falling apart, I took note of which unfinished book series you had. And, well, seven years…it's no surprise that new books in those series came out!"

Levy whimpered.

So many glorious new books, and she hadn't even had to wait for them.

"And…" here Lucy pulled out a smaller gift from behind her back and handing it to her best friend.

Levy somehow managed to tear her eyes away from her personal heaven (quite a feat), and looked at it curiously. When she opened it, her squeal made all of the dragon slayer's cringe at how high it was. Except for Erik, who was luckily wearing his new headphones.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god—" Levy chanted as she carefully picked up her new Gale-Force reading glasses, seeing the '180x' written in gold on the sides. "B-but…120x was still in development!"

Lucy grinned, satisfied at the Solid Script mage's reaction. "True. But it has been seven years."

Levy honest to god started _drooling._

Now she would be able to read these wonderful books 180 times faster than normal! Her old pair were only 64x…

* * *

Wendy gasped as she opened her gift from Romeo—a silver necklace consisting of a heart-shaped pair of wings, which opened up to a tiny sketch of Grandineey, a miniature of the one that Reedus had painted from her based on her description of her foster mother.

It matched the silver bracelet from Lucy that, like Lisanna and her siblings' gifts, contained a lacrima so she could store and view her memories whenever she wanted.

"Is it…okay?" Romeo asked worriedly, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I didn't want to—I mean, I just figured—"

"It's perfect!" Wendy assured him, uncharacteristically vehement as she pulled up her hair to put it on.

She was having a bit of trouble, though.

Of all the times to let her hair down from her pigtails.

Romeo coughed slightly, gently taking the chain from her and fastening it closed as she held her dark blue hair out of the way.

"I-it looks…nice." He said with a slight blush, glancing away for a moment.

Smiling, Wendy pecked his cheek, so quickly that he didn't see it coming.

The Rainbow Fire mage looked at the Sky Dragon Slayer in surprise, joy, and slight embarrassment.

That had been his first kiss from a girl, cheek or not.

And he didn't know it, but that was Wendy's first time kissing a boy, too.

The two young mages blushed heavily, carefully avoiding eye contact as they watched the others and made comments on what they were doing.

Both of them noticed that the other was blushing just as bad as they were, but neither commented.

They had potential, but they were twelve and thirteen.

There was no reason to rush things.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **I know, there wasn't much in the way of romance, here. Trying to write actual romance kind of stresses me out, so I didn't really want to do very many couple-y things. RoWen doesn't count because their parts are totally innocent.**


	45. Games: Day 2 Battle 5 (Kagura v Yukino)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"After an exciting day, the final match of day two of the Games is about to take place!" Chapati called. "This one will test the skills of Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi against Sabertooth's Yukino Aguria! Once more we're treated to two lovely ladies going head to head."

* * *

Frosch hummed. "Who do you think is going to win this one?"

Lector whirled on his fellow Exceed, punching the air. "Are you really that big of an idiot?! Obviously Yukino's going to wipe the floor with this chick!"

Frosch turned back to the arena. "Then let's cheer her on!"

Sting closed his eyes, _feeling_ Rogue's furious aura directed at Lector. He really needed to talk to his little buddy about insulting Frosch…

"We _really_ need to score some points on this one since _somebody_ screwed up on the Chariot game." Orga groused, capturing the blonde's attention.

Sting scowled at him.

"I know. But Sting is not to blame for that. The fact that the game involved vehicles was unfortunate." Yukino said, preparing to go down to the arena.

"We can't change that now." Sting said. "I just hope you know what you've gotta do. We're counting on you."

"Yes…" Yukino said as she walked forward. "I will not tarnish the name Sabertooth. And I will achieve victory without fail."

* * *

"Do your best out their Kagura!" Millianna called.

"Go and fetch us a win!" Beth added.

"Sabertooth isn't the second ranked guild for nothing, so it's going to be tough." Risley noted.

"She would never let us down." Araña admonished her guildmates.

"Do not fear." Kagura said, face serious as she stepped forward. "I see the path that my sword must travel."

* * *

"Something tells me that this won't be another beauty contest." Yajima said.

"Well, personally, if they want another one then I am all for it." Chapati admitted.

"Come on, you guys, these chicks are way too cool for something that cheesy!" Jason admonished them.

* * *

"Should I feel insulted?" Mirajane wondered aloud.

The rest of Team B backed away warily as a few wisps of the She-Demon's purple aura leaked out.

"What gonna happen?" Gray asked, trying to change the subject.

"Pay close attention." Erza warned. "Sabertooth is the guild to beat."

* * *

"Kagura's made quite the name for herself." Chapati was saying. "Not only has she made quite the name for herself, she considered the strongest member of Team Mermaid Heel. She's also made the list of Top Female Sorcerer in Sorcerer Weekly!"

"On the other hand, not much is known about her opponent Yukino. However, the simple fact that she has been chosen to represent the mighty Sabertooth in the Games leads us to believe that she will be a force to be reckoned with!"

A moment later, the gong sounded.

"The gong has been struck! Let the battle begin!"

* * *

"It is an honor to cross swords with you." Yukino said calmly.

Kagura's eyes widened in surprise before closing them. "For me as well."

"So. Shall we do as the others before us and make a wager?" Yukino asked.

"Silly bets do not interest me." Kagura said.

"Is it because you're afraid of losing?" Yukino asked, tone the slightest bit mocking.

"You are mistaken if you believe that." Kagura said. "I fear no such thing. But when I enter into an agreement I guarantee it will be enacted without fail. Therefore I never gamble for entertainment."

"Nor do I." Yukino agreed. "So let's raise the stakes. Let's wager…our lives."

* * *

All around the arena, eyes widened and people gasped.

* * *

From Sabertooth's place in the stands, Sting and Orga smirked.

* * *

"Betting their lives?" Natsu asked quietly. "Seriously?"

"That's crazy." Gray agreed. "Talk about raising the stakes."

* * *

"I don't think that girl knows what she's getting herself into." Millianna said nervously.

"I'm almost scared to watch." Beth said worriedly.

"She must be awfully confident in her skills to make a wager like that." Risley agreed. "She doesn't stand a chance against out Kagura."

* * *

"Way to go Yukino!" Lector cheered. "That's how a member of Sabertooth makes a bet!"

"You can fight Yukino, you can do it!"

"Looks like things are about to get interesting." Sting said, hand on his chin, elbow propped up as he leaned on the railing.

* * *

Erik's eyes narrowed contemplatively as he stared at the white-haired girl.

"What wrong?" Kinana asked quietly.

"That girl…" he exhaled slowly. "I'm pretty sure…I know of her."

Not directly, but from the thoughts of the woman he still considered a sister, even if she was still in prison.

He really needed to get them out.

 _Legally._

He gave a mental shudder at the word. Even after all these years…

"What do you mean?" Laki asked.

"That name…her age and appearance…the lack of self-preservation." Erik's gaze sharpened even more. "I'm pretty sure she's Angel's younger sister. But Angel thought she was dead…"

And Yukino probably thought the same about her.

"WHAT?!" everyone who heard him shouted, heads swinging towards the young woman in question.

* * *

"If you truly intend to stand behind your wager, then I suppose I have no alternative but to accept." Kagura said, sighing slightly. Her long, dark purple hair blew in the wind as she opened her eyes. "Very well. Have at you."

* * *

"They're really going to do it?"

"Oh man! So the winner gets to _kill_ the loser? That's brutal!"

"Are they sure about this?"

* * *

"Well this is certainly an unexpected turn of events!" Chapati said. "Today's match is full of surprises!"

"Hm." Yajima hummed in agreement.

"No way!" Jason shouted, standing up. "This is so unbelievably _NOT_ cool!"

* * *

"An exceptional matchup, if I do say so myself." The King said from his place in the stands. "This is sure to be an exciting fight!"

* * *

"Facing a member of Sabertooth in battle is quite an unfortunate fate." Yukino said, drawing something from underneath her robes.

* * *

"What's that? A gold key?" Kagura asked. "I presume it's one of the Zodiac keys."

"Open: the Gate of the Two Fish!" Yukino called.

* * *

"What the heck?" Happy asked. "Is she summoning or ordering dinner?"

"I wonder what this one's going to look like." Wendy said curiously.

"Me too." Romeo and a few others agreed, ignoring Erza, Gray, and Natsu debating over what the spirit would look like.

* * *

"Come Pisces!" Yukino finished, a light blue magic circle appearing from the key, which she held high above her head.

* * *

Everyone was surprised by the two giant fish with very long bodies, one white, the other black, with the sign for Pisces in blue on their snouts, 'swimming' in the air around the arena.

"Wow, they are fishes!" Happy shouted, excited.

They lunged for Kagura, smashing into the ground as Kagura dodged.

* * *

Beth groaned, covering her eyes.

"Aw, there's no need to worry!" Millianna assured her youngest teammate.

"Yeah, our girl's gonna be just fine." Risley said.

Indeed, Kagura was nimbly dodging the attacks as they came.

* * *

"Holy crap, this girl's awesome!" Natsu shouted.

"No kidding, she's dodging their attacks even though she's barely moving." Gray observed.

"If I were her I'd be scared I was going to be eaten." Wendy said.

"So that's Pisces." Lucy said thoughtfully.

* * *

"Huh." Sting said as the Mermaid Heel mage jumped on Pisces, running along its body. "Not too bad."

"Yeah, but it's not like she's that special, either." Lector said. "All she's doing is running from them and dodging."

"She's not even fighting back!" Frosch agreed.

* * *

"Look at her keeping her cool out there!" Risley said with a wide smile. "Just waitin' for a chance to finally put an end to this thing."

* * *

"This magic battle is turning out to be even more exciting than I expected!" the king cheered. "I hope my Hisui is enjoying it…"

After all, the fight was only happening at his daughter's request.

* * *

"Kagura is able to dodge the spirit Pisces' attacks with the greatest of ease!" Chapati shouted.

"Impressive." Yajima noted.

"COOL!"

* * *

"I don't know why she keeps running from the fishes!" Happy huffed. "If I were her I'd catch 'em and eat 'em! They're going to go to waste!"

* * *

"If all you're going to do is run away then I suppose I'll have to stop you in your tracks." Yukino said, revealing a second gold key from behind Pisces.'

* * *

"She's opening another gate?" Lucy asked, surprised. "That takes a lot of power."

Loke, or Leo, who had opened his own Gate so he could support his guild, face-palmed.

This from the girl who'd summoned all of the ones in her possession WHILE opening his gate without using his key.

His princess was really something.

* * *

"They're gold and shiny!" Frosch observed.

"Yeah they are!" Lector cheered. "That's because they're Zodiac keys!"

* * *

"Now Open: the Gate of the Balance: Libra!" Yukino summoned again.

* * *

"That is one hot spirit!" Chapati almost drooled, looking at the dark-haired and dark-skinned woman, whose veil covered the bottom half of her face. "Makes me want to become a Celestial Spirit mage, too!"

"She's definitely a feast to the eyes." Yajima agreed.

"COOL!"

* * *

"Now Libra." Yukino said. "Alter the target's field of gravity."

"As you wish!" Libra replied, hands going up as a strange feeling came over the audience, and Kagura grunted, knees buckling slightly as she struggled to stay standing.

* * *

"Dang it Kagura, she led you right into a trap!" Beth called.

"That Celestial Spirit uses the same magic as I do!" Risley said, surprised. "Except with fancy scales!"

"She's using gravity to weigh down Kagura's body." Araña said with a scowl.

* * *

"Go Pisces." The summoner directed.

The two fish surged towards their target, crashing into the ground, and Yukino gasped slightly, and Libra looked up to the sky. "Impossible!"

* * *

"She escaped Libra's gravity attack!" Lector said.

"But how?" Frosch wondered with a frown.

* * *

"Holy crap she's amazing!" Natsu cried, stunned.

"Should I be jealous?" Meredy wondered aloud, glancing at him in amusement.

"Right? That was one hell of a jump." Gray agreed, ignoring Meredy's musings.

"Keep watching." Erza said.

* * *

"Libra. Rotate the target's center of gravity sideways."

"As you wish." Libra said again, bringing an arm up, and Kagura was smashed into one of the giant statues surrounding the arena.

* * *

"That gotta hurt!" Chapati announced. "After the impressive escape from Libra's gravity changing magic, Kagura finds herself helplessly pinned down! It looks like she's in real trouble now!"

"Gravity is so freaking COOL!"

* * *

"Attack her!" Yukino ordered, and Pisces flew towards the giant statue.

* * *

"Oh, now we're talking!" Lector cheered. "That's the power of opening two Celestial gates at once!"

"She's awesome!" Frosch cheered.

"We can go ahead and call it a win for our team." Sting murmured. "'Cause here comes the death blow."

* * *

From her place against the statue, Kagura's gaze sharpened, and Pisces faltered, halted in their tracks.

* * *

"Why did the fish stop attacking?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know." Gray said with a frown. "Did she run out of magic power?"

"No, not at all." Erza answered. "Look down there."

The two boys did as told, only to see _Libra_ fall prey to a gravity attack. "I can't move!"

Yukino's eyes widened, mouth opening slightly.

* * *

"No fair!" Lector whined. "She can use gravity magic too?"

"Uh oh…" Frosch said.

* * *

"Ha!" Risley laughed. "Kagura taught me practically everything I know about gravity changing magic. There's a reason she's our number one gal."

The other Mermaid Heel mages cheered as Pisces also fell to the ground under Kagura's counterattack.

* * *

Kagura straightened from her place at the statue and jumped down.

* * *

"Look at her go!" Chapati said. "It's going to take more than two Celestial Spirits to face Kagura, she's incredible! Don't you think so Mr. Yajima?"

"She's showing us a lot of heart." He agreed. "It's obvious that she has a strong inner fortitude."

"This has got to be one of the most exciting matches I've ever seen I mean seriously this is—" Jason rambled.

* * *

Libra found herself squashed beneath Pisces. "Ugh! So heavy!"

"Pisces and Libra you may both return now." Yukino said, and a yellow light signified that they'd gone back to the Celestial Spirit world.

* * *

"Geez, just call it a draw, 'cause this match is just gonna keep dragging on forever." Orga grunted.

"Poor Yukino." Frosch said.

"Don't worry you guys, I just know our girl's gonna pull through! She's gonna win, ain't she Sting?"

"Yeah, no doubt." Sting agreed. "I'm sure Yukino's got a lot more than that in her bag of tricks."

Rogue, however, wasn't so sure.

The Mermaid Heel mage was obviously more skilled than she was letting on.

* * *

"I'm afraid you leave me with no choice." Yukino said. "I'll need to open the thirteenth Gate."

Kagura's eyes widened.

* * *

And so did Lucy's.

"Hang on, did I hear that right?" she asked. "Did she just say the _thirteenth_ gate?"

"Yeah, that's what she said, is there something wrong?"

"I was always told that there were only twelve Zodiac keys in existence." The blonde explained. "There are rumors about a thirteenth key, but most of us thought it was just that—a rumor! Apparently that key belongs to a Celestial Spirit that's stronger than all of the Zodiacs."

* * *

"This Gate is one that is very rarely opened. It is an omen of very bad luck for you." Yukino said, bringing her arm up once again.

"I don't believe in luck." Kagura said. "I have never in my life trusted in such a thing."

Their surroundings turned indigo, and Kagura lunged forward. "Whatever happens is a result of my choices!"

"Open, Gate of the Snake Charmer…"

"My future is determined by my decisions alone, not by fate." Kagura continued.

"Ophiuchus!" Yukino finished.

And suddenly there was a gigantic, mechanical-looking snake with glowing purple eyes.

* * *

"Check it out!" Happy cried. "What kind of creepy spirit is that?!"

"It's huge!" Natsu shouted.

"She said snake charmer, but that looks like an actual snake!" Gray said.

"Whatever it is, it's scary!" Wendy said.

"It does exist…"Lucy gasped, awed at the magnificent spirit. "Ophiuchus."

* * *

'A thirteenth Zodiac Gate?' Arcadios thought to himself with a smirk. 'This girl is a rare gem indeed.'

'This doesn't bode well.' Another figure thought. 'Not only are their two Celestial Spirit mages in the tournament, but both possess powerful Zodiac keys…'

* * *

Kagura reached for her sword, but didn't remove it from its sheath as Ophiuchus lunged towards her.

"Unsheathed Sword Technique…" she murmured.

Sure, this sword, unlike Archenemy, she hadn't taken a vow not to unsheathe until the right time, but she wouldn't need the blade for this battle.

She lunged forward, sword arcing through the air.

A second later, Ophiuchus was gone, taking the purple mist with it.

* * *

"How did she do that?!" Sting demanded.

* * *

Erza's eyes widened. 'But she didn't draw her sword!'

* * *

'Is this the end?' Yukino wondered, eyes wide as she gazed at Kagura, who was suddenly right in front of her.

"Your bet was ill-considered." Kagura told her, knocking Yukino down. "Sometimes a mermaid feasts on a tiger."

Yukino stared up at the sky as the crowd looked on nervously.

* * *

"It looks like…that's the match, folks!" Chapati said, biting his lip as he stared between the two females. "And the winner is Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi!"

At the announcement, Kagura walked away.

The crowd exploded in applause.

* * *

The Mermaid Heel girl talked among themselves.

"She was impressive." Araña said, glancing at the Sabertooth mage. "She would have done well against someone else."

* * *

"This is crazy!" Chapati shouted, not noticing that his wig had fallen off, revealing his bald head. "Sabertooth wasn't able to score a single point on day two!"

"I'll bet their master's not happy about that." Yajima added.

Jason freaked out beside them.

* * *

"I'm having a hard time figuring out what just happened down there." Gray said. "Was the Sabertooth girl too weak or the other too strong?"

"The latter I think." Erza answered quietly, eyes narrowing. 'I had no idea there was someone like her.'

* * *

'I've been…defeated.' Yukino thought to herself, eyes watering. "I've let Sabertooth down."

* * *

"How awful." Frosch said, eyes watering. So were Lector's.

They were startled by a loud sound as Sting punched the stone. "Calm down, buddy!"

Sting glared down at the arena.

* * *

"One last thing." Kagura said, pausing on her way out, not bothering to face the crying mage. "As per our bet, your life is in my hands. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Yukino answered. "I understand completely."

After all…a Celestial Spirit mage never broke their promises.

And Kagura walked away, exiting the arena.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, that wraps up day two of the Games!" Chapati called. "And the points are as follows…

1st is Fairy Tail Team A with 40 points!

Tied for 2nd is Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail Team B with 32 points!

4th is Sabertooth with 29 points!

5th is Raven Tail with 23 points!

6th is Mermaid Heel with 19 points!

Tied for 7th is Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus!

9th place is the True Cross Order with 14 points!

And last is the Hairy Hooligan tribe, trailing far behind with 1 point!"

* * *

"Shit…" Erik muttered, staring across the arena to where the Sabertooth Team was standing.

"What?" Lucy demanded worriedly, noticing that Rogue was staring at him, the two dragon slayers engaging in a one-sided conversation using Erik's Sound Magic.

"He's almost certain that the chick's gonna be excommunicated tonight." The Poison Dragon Slayer said with a dark scowl. "Jiemma, their master, doesn't take loss lightly, and he won't stand for one of his mages owing their lives to someone from another guild. From what he's seen happen to others, it's not going to be pretty."

"That's harsh…" Charlotte muttered with a wince. "But…why's he telling you? Or us, I guess."

"He's hoping we'll offer her a place here…" he glanced at Raven, who had no doubt inspired the Shadow Dragon Slayer's request.

"Of course!" Lucy exclaimed. "Master would hardly say no!"

Not after accepting Gajeel and Juvia into the guild. And Jellal, Ultear, Meredy, and even Erik himself had been let in, too, though not by Makarov.

"Hopefully we can get to her in time…" Kinana murmured.

Erik nodded.

Yukino…he owed it to Angel to at least try and protect her.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	46. A Bit of Family Drama

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters. SPOILERS for Naruto and Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler!**

 **Zeref (Guest):**

 **Okay, I fixed Kagura's attack—you were right about that, I guess I just didn't notice. About Yukino, however…while** _ **we**_ **already knew that Yukino had Libra from the carnival chapter (and from watching or reading the series), Yukino only interacted with Romeo during that chapter, and not only does he probably not recognize her, but I doubt it came up, so it's still new information for them. Don't go breaking the fourth wall. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

In the stands, two middle-aged women watched as the Fairy Tail dominated the competition.

"Charlotte chose her guild well." The woman with long, straight plum-red hair said approvingly, hazel eyes unadorned by the large, thick glasses that she used to wear during her time as a maid in the Phantomhive household.

"Oh, yes!" Lady Elizabeth Midford, agreed cheerfully, her long blonde hair bouncing slightly. "I'm a bit disappointed that she hasn't had the chance to participate yet…but hopefully she won't be chosen for one of the battle rounds. They seem rather dangerous and intense."

"Says one of the premier swordswomen in England." Mey-Rin said dryly, looking at her employer, who flushed slightly at the praise. The noblewoman might not look like it, but she was very talented with a blade.

And 'intense' was an understatement when the blonde had cause to draw the two rapiers she carried with her at all times.

"Don't worry." The former assassin and mercenary continued. "We've taught her well."

Elizabeth, known to Mey-Rin as Lizzy, smiled softly. "Yes…she'll be fine."

She made a mental note to find a good time for them to visit with her daughter.

* * *

Sasuke stared at his older brother in shock.

He hadn't realized that Itachi knew he was here, or if he had, that he would come to talk to him during the gap between the battle rounds and the second event.

But looking into his brother's eyes, he sensed that there was something off.

His suspicions were confirmed at the words that came out of his brother's mouth.

"I don't really know who you are." Itachi said bluntly. "I lost my memories some time ago. But I was told by a comrade of mine, whose unique brand of magic is so accurate that he can practically hear people's thoughts, that you have a connection of some kind to me."

Sasuke stared at him, mouth slightly open.

"I…I don't really know what to say." Sasuke admitted. "It—everything's rather complicated. And there's a lot that you'll be better off not knowing. My name is Sasuke, though."

Itachi hummed, acknowledging the point. "You look a lot like me. Why is that?"

He winced slightly. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Itachi hesitated uncharacteristically. "…did I sire you?"

Sasuke's mouth dropped open in shock. "Of course not! We're not even six years apart!"

His brother's eyes lit up. "So you know how old I am?"

"Twenty-eight." Sasuke replied automatically. "Last December."

Itachi's lips quirked slightly. "That was rather quick. You must know—must _have_ known me well."

"Not exactly…" Sasuke hedged. "I did, but then we spent a rather long time apart, and during the subsequent times we met…well, they weren't exactly suitable for catching up."

His brother frowned slightly, contemplating what he had just been told. He was far too intelligent not to have realized by now who Sasuke was to him.

What had separated him from his younger brother?

"Our parents?" he asked.

Sasuke's lips quirked at the acknowledgement of their own blood connection. "They've been dead for over a decade."

"How?" Itachi urged.

That was one of the most difficult questions Sasuke had ever been asked.

"Circumstances…" he sighed. "The entirety of our clan was massacred when I was seven ('I would have been about thirteen.' Itachi realized), besides us and one other person, who is now dead. The one behind it is also dead, a traitor to Konoha, the village we grew up in. Apparently a majority of our clan was plotting to overthrow the Kage, our leader, at the time, and the traitor decided to overstep his authority and order their deaths without approval. The one who had been assigned to kill them all was heavily blackmailed into doing so, and was unable to go against the order unless the person wanted the person who…they cared about the most…to be killed in our clan's place."

Sasuke was careful not to say or hint at it, but Itachi made the logical leap when he saw the raw emotion in his younger brother's eyes, and realized the truth.

The man who had committed the act, even if he was just following orders…was him. Because they had threatened the very boy telling him the story.

When he was barely a teenager.

Maybe Sasuke was right. Maybe he shouldn't try to remember.

"Right." Itachi forcibly held back the vomit that was threatening to make an appearance. "And the man who had been blackmailed?"

Sasuke frowned. He hadn't specified which gender the person who had massacred their clan was.

Then again, Itachi had been praised as a genius and a prodigy. It made sense that he would put at least some of the story together.

"The man wasn't able to stay in Konoha, because…someone witnessed him doing it." Sasuke answered, a slightly blank look in his eyes. "He became a missing-nin, leaving Konoha, and eventually joined a group called the Akatsuki, who were led by that surviving relative I mentioned earlier. He'd gone off the deep end a long time ago, and wanted to unite the world under a Genjutsu—a world-wide illusion—to create peace."

Itachi frowned. "It's not peace if it's only an illusion."

"No." Sasuke agreed. "That's why he stopped him. Of course, he was also trying to kill Na—um, a group of nine individuals who possessed the power to make his goal a reality."

"You had a personal stake." Itachi gave him a tiny smile. "The blonde?"

Sasuke flushed slightly, grunting slightly in agreement.

"Do I need to take him aside and have a little talk with him?" Itachi asked, smile turning into a slight smirk.

Sasuke stared at his brother carefully.

Itachi, making a joke?

…That guild he'd joined, Fairy Tail, had apparently been good for him, if he was starting to show emotion again. He'd thought that that part of his brother had been lost because of what he'd been forced to do.

Then again…maybe it had.

Was Itachi only acting like this because he had lost his memory?

Even if he had figured out that he was the man Sasuke had talked about, knowing it was not the same as remembering it.

Sasuke gave a mental sigh.

He couldn't in good conscious ask Itachi to return with him now, could he? Not when he didn't even have his memory, and much less when he was doing better than Sasuke had seen him even before that horrible night.

"So…" he said awkwardly. "A mage guild, huh?"

Itachi seemed to read the change in mood, and the resignation in Sasuke's eyes.

"Yes. One of them found me unconscious in a forest and brought me back to the guild." He said slowly. "One of them knows a form of magic that includes healing. Apparently I had some sort of chronic illness or disease."

He was careful not to give out the young healer's name, a habit from his years as a ninja. Never give out more information than was necessary, especially when it could be used against you—or in this case Wendy—at some point.

Not that he thought these ninja would give them trouble, if Sasuke's partner was their leader. The blonde had been introduced at the beginning of the Games, along with the other important 'ambassadors,' and the blonde didn't seem the type to start a war without reason.

"Your eyes." Sasuke said immediately, showing his Sharingan by instinct and brining Itachi out of his thoughts. "They used to bleed when you used your dōjutsu for too long."

Itachi nodded, accepting the explanation, since he hadn't known what had caused it. Maybe the tear troughs under his eyes had been created by the 'blood tears.' "As far as I know that is no longer an issue."

"Good." Sasuke said quietly. "That…I don't know what was wrong, but that wasn't normal."

After that, the two awkwardly spoke for another twenty minutes or so as Itachi asked a few questions, and Sasuke asked a few about life in Fiore in return.

Itachi learned that his parents' names were Fugaku and Mikoto, and that he had had a rather strained relationship with the former, not liking that the man had more or less ignored Sasuke and instead focused solely on Itachi, and that both he and Sasuke were much closer to their mother, who had been kind and understanding, as well as talented, strong, and had loved her children unconditionally.

And yet she had still been one of his victims.

…It was a hard pill to swallow.

Other than that, Itachi had been close to one other person—their cousin, Shisui. He hadn't been one of Itachi's victims, but there was a possibility that he might have been if he hadn't committed suicide right in front of him shortly before then. That event, not being able to stop him and therefore blaming himself for Shisui's death, had given Itachi an evolved form of the Uchiha dōjutsu called the Mangekyo Sharingan, far more powerful than the usual form, and one that Sasuke curiously had as well.

He knew better than to ask how he had gotten it, not knowing that it was because Sasuke had blamed himself for _Itachi's_ supposed death.

It was all so convoluted.

Once they had said their awkward goodbyes, complete with promises to stay in contact and for Sasuke to send books and scrolls over to Itachi, the two stepped away from each other, and the older of the two began to head out.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he saw his brother pause for a moment in the doorway.

"Did I…do you know if I…" Itachi trailed off before trying again. "Did I have a lover?"

There. The question he'd been trying to build up the…courage (?) to ask.

Sasuke's dark eyes softened ever so softly. "No, I'm relatively certain you didn't. No kids, either, as far as I'm aware."

Itachi nodded awkwardly. "Well…if any do turn up, send them my way. If that's the case, I'm sure I'll have a lot to make up for."

Sasuke smirked. "I'll be sure to do that."

The thought of Itachi as a father chilled Itachi himself to the bone, but Sasuke had a feeling that he would make a good one. When the time came, at least.

He'd certainly been a good older brother up until the massacre, being Sasuke's absolute favorite person in the world even if Sasuke had had mixed feelings because of their father's blatant favoritism.

* * *

*Meanwhile*

"Er, mom…" Ryder began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "We…well, Jack, Toothless, and I kind of have to get back…"

"Back?" Valka wondered with an odd look in her eyes. "Back to where? Berk? Nonsense. You and Toothless will be killed."

"No, not Berk." Jack shook his head, turning to the woman who was just as small and petite as he was. "We're members of a magic guild in the kingdom of Fiore."

Had that really not come up earlier?

Guess they'd been sidetracked by the discovery that Ryder and Valka were related.

"We were in Fiore when you…" Ryder trailed off. "Picked us up."

Valka winced slightly. "Kidnapped, you mean."

"Yeah." Jack admitted, shrugging as his boyfriend gave him a slight glare.

Why sugarcoat it? It's not like Valka had known it was Ryder—or Hiccup—behind that mask, and it's not like she had a right to take people captive whenever she felt like it, much less just because one of them was riding a wyvern and she was curious.

Then again, living away from human civilization for the last twenty years probably had something to do with that.

"But…" Valka said quietly. "You could stay here. I-if you want…"

Ryder gave Jack and Toothless a helpless look, and Jack took the hint.

"Well, they have no idea where we are, and we were patrolling when you took us." Jack explained. "So if absolutely nothing else we need to go back to tell them that we're alright, otherwise I'm sure they'll track us down. And you wanted to keep this place a secret, right?"

Valka nodded firmly.

The thought of so many people in the Bewilderbeast's nest didn't settle too well with her.

"In fact…" Ryder realized, biting his lip worriedly. "They've probably already started looking for us. I think Raven mentioned a tracking spell…"

Jack and Valka's eyes widened.

"We need to get back." Jack agreed, before turning to Valka. "You're welcome to come with us, but…well, the Hairy Hooligan tribe is participating in the Games. Losing pretty badly, too, from what we saw one day one."

Ryder rolled his eyes at the vindictive pleasure in his boyfriend's eyes before glancing at his mom. "It's your decision."

Valka looked straight at him with eyes the same shade as his own. "Cloudjumper and I will come."

The Stormcutter wyvern reared up behind her, wings flapping rapidly in agreement.

'After all,' Valka thought to herself darkly. 'I need to beat some sense into Stoick. Trying to kill our son because he dares to see things differently…will he try to kill me as well when he realizes why I stayed away?'

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	47. Games: Day 2, Event 2 (No Magic Allowed)

**Disclaimer: Okay, don't own Fairy Tail, or the plots or characters from any other series. If you recognize a character from somewhere else, I don't own them. And there are a few ideas from this chapter that I took from shows such as American Ninja Warrior and Total Wipeout. Well, more accurately scenes of those shows I found on YouTube, but you get the picture.**

 **Warnings: same as always!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"And now that hat excited match has come to a close and the total ranking is decided for the day, let's move on to our optional guild-wide second event!" Chapati cheered. "Like yesterday, we will wait for the participating groups' decision on whether they want to take part before announcing the event!"

As was the case the day before, only Raven Tail chose to opt out.

"Choose your representatives! Remember, Fairy Tail, you can only send one person out!"

* * *

Makarov turned to Levy.

Knowing what he was expected, Levy hummed thoughtfully. "Yesterday's challenge was intellectual, kind of, so today's will most likely be a more physical challenge."

Everyone who heard her nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'll go." A voice declared, and everyone turned to Charlotte, who was tying up her long hair in a ponytail. "My demon heritage enhances my physical abilities, so I'll have an advantage if it does end up being a physical challenge."

Natsu and a few others pouted, but everyone agreed that she would be a good choice, so she went.

One by one, the other guilds chose their own participants.

Sabertooth, learning their lesson from the Chariot event, decided against sending either of their dragon slayers out, and Orga was sent out, Rufus having come to the same conclusion as Levy about the focus of the challenge.

Mermaid Heel sent out Risley this time, Quatro Cerberus sent out Bacchus (as he wanted a chance to make up for his loss), the Vikings sent out Astrid, Blue Pegasus sent out Hibiki, Lamia Scale sent out Toby, and the Exorcists sent out Yukio, Rin's younger twin.

* * *

"Alright then!" Chapati called out. "Today's secondary event is...an obstacle course! Contestants will go one by one, comparing their time with the other participants, and as an added challenge, it will be purely physical! Absolutely no magic will be allowed!"

The guild mages' eyes widened in surprise, while the Viking and Exorcist groups smirked.

After all, from their perspective mages relied only on their magical abilities in a fight, so all of them would be horrible in a physical challenge.

Charlotte smirked. Her demon heritage wasn't magic, so she wasn't limited like some of the others were.

"Damn." Millianna hissed, glancing at Risley. If the chubby girl couldn't use her Gravity Change magic to get to her other, more physically capable form, then they wouldn't do very well.

Especially since the only other contestant who looked like they would have a hard time was Hibiki Lates from Blue Pegasus. The lean man was far more suited for intellectual pursuits.

…Why had Blue Pegasus chosen him for the second event again anyway? He'd already done the last one.

* * *

"Contestants will first have to stay on a narrow balance beam while they navigate through a forest of swinging balls. Then there are ten large poles that very in distance, and they'll need to get on those and either reach or jump to the next ones to arrive on the other side. After that there are five rotating foam structures with arms sticking out at various heights, and the participants will have to navigate _that_ as well. If they fall into the water below they'll have to swim to the start of the next obstacle, delaying them further." Chapati grinned. "What are you thinking Mr. Yajima? Jason?"

"COOL!" Jason cheered.

"This should be interesting to watch." Yajima agreed with a small smile.

* * *

The contestants drew sticks with numbers one them to decide the order that they would go in, and Risley was up first.

* * *

The Mermaid Heel groaned as she took a look at the course that the game organizers had conjured.

"Fuck." She swore.

* * *

Risley Law had an easy time staying on the balance beam, considering her magic had to do with gravity and even without using it she had exceptional balance, but the swinging balls kept hitting her. They didn't manage to knock her off, but she did come out slightly bruised and dazed.

She had some trouble with the poles, too, since they required a fair bit of body strength that she just didn't have, but she managed six of the ten poles before falling into the water and needing to swim the rest of the way.

The rotating foam obstacles were a huge pain. Jump over, duck down, dodge left, dodge right, and since there wasn't water below them she could drop into to swim the rest of the way, when she was knocked over she had no choice but to get right back up and try again.

* * *

Orga Nanagear from Sabertooth was next.

Oddly enough, he seemed to be doing worse than Risley, even though at first glance one would think that he would do very well at a physical challenge.

Unfortunately, he had horrible balance, and fell almost immediately during the first part of the course, and he wasn't a very fast swimmer either, so that cost him some time. He got distracted by Sting's jeering and Rufus' comments about how his memories of Orga's physical prowess must be out of date during the part with the poles, too, and ended up slipping a few times before stumbling onto the mat on the other side, cursing at the pair of blondes all the while.

He also kept on getting hit in the face with the foam during the last part, and ended up getting a black eye.

And since everyone witnessed it, he couldn't even lie and say he'd gotten it facing some huge monster.

Damn.

Hopefully he wouldn't be kicked out like Master Jiemma was probably going to do with Yukino.

* * *

"All bark and no bite." Toby said quietly from where he and the other contestants were waiting for their turn, earning a few snickers.

* * *

Of course, Toby was next, and boy was everyone in for a surprise.

Motivated by the loss of his sock, the dog-man sped through the course like a squirrel on crack, not even stumbling once, dodging the balls swiftly, leaping fluidly from pole to pole, and flipping through the clock-like obstacles like they were nothing.

Finishing far sooner than the first two had, Toby went back to quietly mourning his beloved sock as many in the crowd revised their opinion of him.

* * *

Blue Pegasus' Hibiki Lates was not a physically strong man. Everyone who knew him was aware of this.

But he did have his brain.

It only took a few seconds to calculate the timing on the swinging balls and spinning obstacle parts of the course, and he moved slowly but surely so that he didn't fall off of the balance beam. He only really had any trouble with the poles, lacking arm strength to do it well, but he managed to use his legs, placing one of them firmly on the next pole before carefully making the transition, so like Toby he didn't fall even once.

* * *

Astrid Hofferson from the Hairy Hooligans Viking tribe also did very well, unfortunately.

She smirked as she nimbly dodged the balls and leapt from pole to pole like a monkey, and she was through the spinning obstacles within a few moments, only ending up with a glancing blow to the shoulder.

* * *

Charlotte Phantomhive, however, blew even Astrid out of the water.

She had completed the balance beam and swinging obstacles portion in only a few seconds, dodging and weaving through the swinging balls so quickly that Erik thought that even Racer wouldn't have been able to see her.

'Actually, this girl's speed might be just as fast as Racer's had seemed,' Erik theorized, watching the half-demon closely as she got to the spinning foam things and started flipping, cartwheeling, and bending in uncomfortable-looking ways to get back them.

He wasn't even sure if she had done the pole part or just bypassed it entirely by just jumping straight to the other side, it was that fast. 'That's actual speed, she's not slowing down anyone's perception like he did.'

* * *

Mey-Rin smirked, pleased at how well Charlotte had done as the young half-demon's mother, Lizzy, cheered wildly.

"That's my girl." The plum-haired former assassin said proudly, fist shooting up as she cheered as loudly as her old friend. "Go Char!"

* * *

"Is that the Shunshin (AN: Body Flicker technique, allowing the user to move so quickly the uninformed would assume it was teleportation)?!" Naruto asked, startled at the blue-eyed girl's speed.

"No…" Sasuke's brows furrowed in concentration as he watched. "She's not using hand seals. And if it was magic she'd have been disqualified already."

"Damn…" Naruto whistled, impressed.

Ninja could move extremely fast, sure, but he'd never seen anyone move that fast without using chakra to enhance their speed, which this girl apparently wasn't doing.

* * *

"And once again Fairy Tail takes the lead, with their contestant easily taking the lead." Chapati shouted excitedly, though he was admittedly baffled at how that had been done without using magic, not realizing that Charlotte didn't even _have_ magic.

* * *

Bacchus…well, he did even better than Charlotte, in a way.

The judges did penalize his time a bit though, bumping him down to second place because he completely destroyed the obstacle course by plowing through it, and like Charlotte he had just jumped across instead of bothering with the ten poles. Apparently even without his magic he had formidable strength.

* * *

Yukio Okumura was supposed to go up next, but since the Quatro Cerberus mage had destroyed the course, he had to wait for them to fix it before he could go.

He got through it with little issue, but his time was mediocre compared to some of the others.

The brunette was also admittedly kind of pissed off that while the rest of his team had cheered for the mage's, not only had they not shown any support whatsoever for him, but they hadn't even bothered to watch.

God, he'd fucked up big time…

And when Yukio cursed, you knew shit had gotten serious.

* * *

"And so the rankings are as follows!" Yajima announced, Chapati's throat being dry from the commentary he'd been doing.

1st place is Fairy Tail!

2nd place is Quatro Cerberus!

3rd place is Toby Horhorta!

4th place is Astrid Hofferson!

5th place is Yukio Okumura!

6th place is Hibiki Lates!

7th place is Orga Nanagear!

And in 8th place we have Risley Law!

"Remember that these rankings have no bearing on the scores for the Games, but it was fun to watch!" Yajima tacked on.

* * *

"Well done!" Sinon said with a small smile as Charlotte arrived back to her place in the stands.

"T-thanks." Charlotte said with an embarrassed grin, purposefully letting her long black hair (which had blue tints) fall in front of her face just in case she was blushing.

From their place behind Sinon, Asuna and Kirito smiled at the two oblivious girls.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	48. Exorcist, Mermaid, and a Clone, oh my!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few OCs.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters.**

 **Note: I haven't been able to reply to your guys' reviews like normal, getting an 'invalid message' warning, so if I need to reply I'll use the private messaging directly. Anyone having the same issue or know how to fix it?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

'Something isn't right…' Jellal thought to himself with a frown, eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed at the various mages from the other guilds in the Domas-Flau, dismissing the foreign visitors. After all, this was the first year they'd been allowed to witness and participate in the Games, so it couldn't be them that he and Ultear had been sensing over the past seven years. 'It's day two, and yet…'

Nothing.

* * *

 _As day two of the Games closed, five remained until that fateful day…_

* * *

"You haven't sensed anything yet?" Erza asked.

"No, not yet." Jellal answered. "We usually sense a power reminiscent of Zeref at the Games, but for some reason…we've yet to sense it this year."

"Why do you think that is?" the Requip mage wondered.

"I'm not sure, but I can think of a number of possibilities." Jellal said thoughtfully. "Let's say a mage is the one responsible for this power. Well, they may not be attending the Games this year. Or they could be here in Crocus but they're not using that particular magic."

"Perhaps it could be someone in the tournament who hasn't had the chance to compete yet." Erza theorized.

"If it's from a device or a specific location, then that makes things slightly more complicated." Jellal said with a nod, acknowledging her point but continuing to answer her initial question. "Either the device hasn't been activated or there's some sort of filter that's preventing the magic power from leaking out."

"In any case," Erza said seriously. "The fact that you aren't sensing it means there's no reason for us to worry right now.

"I certainly hope that's true." Jellal said warily, not believing it in the slightest. "Either way. One of Crime Sorciere* will investigate the game organizers tomorrow. Which of us will depend on if any of us are called to participate."

Erza warned. "Be careful."

Jellal nodded in agreement. "That's one lesson I learned a long time ago."

"Don't push yourself too hard." Erza said with a soft smile.

"I won't." Jellal assured her, making sure that she couldn't see his matching smile, though he had a feeling that the redhead still knew it was there. "Goodnight, Erza."

* * *

"It's later than I thought it was." Erza said with a smile as she walked along the cobblestone road to the hotel Fairy Tail was staying in. "Surely the others have finished their partying by now."

"I finally found you!" a cheery voice called, and Erza turned to see a cloaked figure facing her.

"Who goes there?" she demanded, ready to Requip in an instant if she needed to.

"Well aren't you all rosy?" the figure giggled.

"You're…" Erza's eyes widened at the familiar term of address. "It's really you."

The figure removed her hood, revealing an older and more mature-looking Millianna…who had grown up with Jellal (and Erza up to a point) in the Tower of Heaven.

"It's been a while, Erzy-werzy!" the cat-lover said cheerfully.

"Millianna!" Erza called with a smile, catching her old friend as the now older woman jumped into her arms with a happy squeal.

"I missed you so much!" Millianna said.

"Oh, it's so good to see you." Erza agreed with a wide smile.

"Look at you, have you joined a guild?" Erza asked, clasping Millianna's hands with her own.

"Yeah!" Millianna answered, smiling slightly. Erza hadn't noticed? "I'm a member of Mermaid Heel!"

(AN: this time Millianna didn't hide beneath that cloak the entire time because Fairy Tail already knew she had joined Mermaid Heel and thought it would probably come up at some point. But it didn't, and Erza was too busy paying attention to other things to notice her at the coliseum.)

"What about Sho and Wally, did they join along with you?" Erza asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Millianna said. "We don't allow any boys in our guild, so they couldn't join if they wanted."

"Oh, I see." Erza said sheepishly.

"You'll be happy to know that they're out traveling the world." Millianna said, eyes closing. "I still talk to them every once in a while."

"That's good." Erza said, tearing up as she hugged her friend. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you, Millianna."

"Oh, Erzy-werzy!" Millianna teared up.

"Silly me. I was worried about you." Erza said with a watery laugh. "Please don't cry…"

"So are you!" Millianna teased, and the two girls laughed.

* * *

A few miles away, Bacchus was at the bar where the remaining Fairy Tail mages had decided (at Cana's suggestion) to celebrate the day's victories.

The Palm mage cackled.

"That's not half bad, you guys!" Bacchus laughed. "But let's try one more time! Your soul will always be?!"

"WILD!" Natsu and Happy shouted.

Gray would've joined in, but he was still pissed about the Quatro Cerberus' attempts to get Juvia in bed with him, even though the Water mage herself had brushed it off and forgiven the man already.

…To be clear, he was mad because it was a horrible, perverted bet penalty. Not for any other reason.

*whistles*

"Now that's the spirit!" Bacchus said approvingly. "You kids really know how to party, don't cha?"

"Well you're one to talk!" Happy said cheerfully. "You _are_ the party!"

Bacchus smirked, before glancing at the clock. "It's getting' pretty late. We should probably start getting back to our hotels soon."

He was about to continue, but was interrupted by Cana, who had snuck up from behind.

"I want a rematch!" the Card mage demanded, glaring at him dangerously.

This time she was sober, so she wasn't already drunk off her ass like their first encounter.

Bacchus cackled again. "You're on, sister!"

"Can I join in?" another voice asked from the doorway, and as one every mage in the room turned towards the speaker.

"SHURA!" Rin shouted excitedly, jumping over the table he'd been sitting at with Kozue and lunging to grab his old mentor in a hug.

This was the woman who had taught him the trick to controlling his blue fire when all of the other exorcists expected him to instinctually know how but didn't lift a finger to help, expecting him to masterfully use it when they wanted him to but keep it suppressed otherwise.

Shura Kirigakure, Upper-First Class Exorcist only a few ranks from the top of the hierarchy, grinned at the kid. "Eh, Okumura! Long time no see!"

Shura was Bacchus' age, twenty-eight years old, with long pink hair with yellow tips (bangs included) that resembled flames and pink eyes. She had a curvaceous figure (AN: but more realistic than females in most anime), with red tattoos on her abdomen and the space above her chest.

She wore a red and white bikini top, blue denim shorts, long white stockings, black boots that buckled at the top, and a white scarf around her neck tied into a bow.

Realizing that this woman was one of the Exorcists that Rin trusted, the Fairy Tail mages didn't make a fuss about her being there.

Not that they could, since it was a bar and they didn't own it.

"Sure!" Cana said with a grin.

"The more the merrier!" Bacchus snickered.

And the three alcoholics sat down at the bar, demanding the barman to supply them with the strongest stuff he had.

The man whimpered, hoping that his bar would still be standing by the time they left.

* * *

Meanwhile, Levy sat up from where she'd been sleeping at another table.

"So noisy…" the blunette sighed, before making her way towards her best (female) friend.

"Hey, Lu?" she said with a yawn.

Lucy turned towards her with a slight frown. "Levy! I'm sorry, we didn't mean to wake you…"

She'd been more focused on keeping fights from starting than keeping them quiet.

"No, I needed to wake up anyway." Levy assured her. "But…are you okay? You look kind of down."

Lucy winced. "…That Celestial Spirit mage from the Sabertooth guild."

Levy, and Wendy who had wandered over, misunderstood her meaning.

"You mean…Yukino, right?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, she was really good." Levy said thoughtfully. "She had really strong spirits, and she even had that crazy thirteenth one, but she still managed to lose the match somehow."

"There are two things that worry me." Lucy admitted. "For one thing, she bet her life on that fight. I doubt Kagura will kill her, and she's honorable so she won't go too far with it, but all the same…"

"And the second thing?" Wendy asked worriedly.

Lucy bit her lip. "Rogue got in contact with Erik. He's worried Sabertooth's master won't take Yukino's loss well."

The two blunettes' eyes widened.

"Crap!" Levy hissed. "Did he say what was going to happen?"

"He wasn't sure himself." Lucy shook her head. "But apparently he'd seen people banished from the guild before, and it wasn't pretty. He's worried that that's going to happen to her, if not for the loss than for the life debt."

"What can we do?" Wendy whimpered slightly.

Lucy smiled reassuringly. "Erik went with Itachi and Rogue to convince Yukino not to go back to their hotel. They're in contact with Warren in order to keep me updated."

"And?" Levy asked.

"It took a lot of convincing, and Erik had to explain that he knows her sister to get her to trust him, but in the end Itachi sent one of his clones, making it look like her, back with Rogue."

"And?" Wendy repeated Levy's question.

"And now we wait." Lucy sighed. "Either way, the real Yukino won't get caught in the crossfire."

"Hey…" Rocker said, interrupting the girl's conversation. "I guess you guys' got some visitors. Uh, I guess you guys can go in…"

A moment later, two people entered…

Lamia Scale's Lyon Vastia and Chelia* Blendy.

Gray's face took on a horrified expression.

"Lyon!" Natsu greeted. "And…I think that's Sherry's cousin?"

"It's Chelia!" Wendy agreed. "Right?"

"Whatever it is, I have a feeling she's going to be a pain in the butt." Levy said with a slight sigh.

* * *

Far away on the other side of Crocus, the entirety of the Sabertooth guild had gathered.

"Your performance today was utterly pathetic, you miserable wretches." Jiemma growled at the dozens of mages in the crowd, but especially the team he had chosen to represent them. "Don't tell me you've forgotten why we stand above the other mage guilds in this competition. We don't look at the insects around us, we don't talk to them. We crush them underneath our feet. We're focused on something much greater than this tournament.

"We aim to stun the heavens, to raze the ground beneath us, and silence the raging seas. For you see that is the Sabertooth way." Jiemma finished. "Now…Orga."

"Sir." The green-haired man stepped forward.

"That display in the second event was… _disappointing,_ to say the least."

"Yes, Master Jiemma." Orga bowed. "I will ensure that it never happens again."

"See to it that it doesn't." Jiemma hissed as Orga stepped back, already planning to do some very intensive training. "Sting."

"Sir." The blonde said quietly, taking a step forward.

"I've decided to give you one more chance to redeem yourself." The guild master told him. "I don't ever want to see such a pitiful display from you again. Even if it still wasn't as bad as Orga's performance."

Not when you already knew about the blonde's motion-sickness, at least. Orga's failure had been far more surprising.

"Thank you, Master Jiemma." Sting said, eyes closed as he bowed his head. "I'll do my best to live up to your expectations."

Jiemma's eyes flashed. "Yukino…"

The white-haired figure stepped forward, quickly saying "Yes sir!"

"There is no excuse for what happened in your match." Jiemma continued. "Do you realize what you have done?"

"Yes sir." she confirmed quietly. "Please forgive me. I have lost to an opponent from a lesser guild."

Under the Henge technique, Itachi's clone nearly hissed at having to say such words.

"I brought shame to Sabertooth." Yukino continued. "I've tarnished our good name."

The disguised clone was careful not to react as a bunch of grapes was thrown at 'her' head, glad that the original Itachi had had the foresight to use more chakra so that 'Yukino' wouldn't disperse at the hit.

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Jiemma growled as Lector and Frosch's eyes watered. "You chose to bet your life on the battle and you lost. Even worse you let your enemy show mercy on you and your guild. You are an _embarrassment_ to Sabertooth."

The rest of Team Sabertooth looked down, including Rogue, whose fist clenched from beneath his cloak.

He knew that this wasn't the real Yukino, but to think that this is what she would have faced, and that she had only been spared that fate because Fairy Tail was 'showing mercy'…he wondered what Jiemma would think about his own interactions with the 'enemy' guild.

"Yes." The Yukino clone said, eye closing as grape juice dripped down her face. "I am fully prepared to accept any punishment you feel is appropriate. Sir."

"Good girl." Jiemma said darkly. "Then you will throw it all away."

The clone's eyes furrowed for a moment, not sure what he meant, and Rogue face-palmed.

He'd forgotten to mention that part.

Well, he was surprised that the charade had lasted this far.

Expecting the duplicity to be discovered, Rogue was surprised when Jiemma's eyes glinted in satisfaction and he ordered Yukino to remove her guild mark.

The clone did so, actually using a Henge to adjust the illusion.

A moment later, Jiemma dismissed 'her,' and the clone walked outside of the inn only to dispel a moment later, memories going back to the original Itachi.

The other Sabertooth mage's were still inside, confused.

Yukino hadn't stripped like Jiemma had demanded. He had stopped her before she could even move to do so, and acted like she already had.

What had just happened?

None of them but Rogue knew that it hadn't been the real Yukino, much less that Itachi had used his clan dōjutsu, the Sharingan, in order to cast a Genjutsu illusion on Jiemma to show the old power-hungry bastard what he expected to see, therefore sparing Yukino the humiliation of anyone seeing what she looked like naked. After all, even if the clone wasn't really her, the physical appearance was exactly the same.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer stared at the display, completely baffled.

He knew for a fact that this wasn't really Yukino, but a clone of Fairy Tail's resident ninja under a strong illusion. But he'd gotten her mannerisms down so perfectly…

Creepy.

* * *

Back where Yukino was waiting with Erik and the real Itachi, the latter turned to her as the memories from his Shadow Clone came to him.

He looked into the Celestial Spirit mage's pleading eyes, and shook his head.

Tears poured down from the young woman's face, but she swallowed and nodded, bringing her hand up to remove her guild mark for real.

She was no longer a member of Sabertooth.

The only silver linings were finding out that at least one person from that guild gave a damn about what happened to her (Rogue was the last person she would have expected that from, but she appreciated it all the same) and finding out that her sister Sorano was alive, though the Poison Dragon Slayer was being worriedly silent on the circumstances of how he knew the older of the Aguria siblings.

* * *

 **Please review! Any constructive criticism, or plot lines that I'm forgetting or seem to have forgotten?**

 ***Remember, Crime Sorciere is a team in Fairy Tail now, not an independent guild.**

 ***I know it's apparently Sherria, not Chelia like most people apparently thought it was, but I'm sticking with Chelia. Helps differentiate her from her cousin Sherry.**


	49. Games Day 3, Event 1 (Tests of Strength)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything aside from a few original characters. Also, there's an explanation down below that I took directly from the wiki of the series I got the idea from.**

 **Warnings: same as in previous chapters…but a lot more angst and drama in this one. Those of you who read the original story (not that it was complete) should have an idea where this is going. But I changed it up a bit.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the third day of the Games!" Chapati shouted with yet another wig atop his bald scalp. "First on the agenda for today is an event that is actually a combination of two separate challenges. Therefore, each team will need to send out two participants for this event. Choose wisely!"

It took a few moments, but they did.

Chapati continued. "As there are admittedly a few unfair advantages that mages have and the non-mages don't, we will be testing both mental strength and physical or magical strength. Mato, can you please explain?"

"Of course, Kabo~!" the pumpkin mascot exclaimed cheerfully as a huge gray structure appeared, floating in the middle of the arena.

* * *

As he explained the point of this challenge, which the game organizers called Pandemonium, Erza Scarlet, who had been chosen for her team, nodded to Juvia, the other chosen participant for Team B.

She would take this one.

The redhead smiled slightly as the stick she drew projected a '1.'

That would be to her advantage.

* * *

"The second challenge is the one that will be testing your mental strength, ~Kabo." Mato explained. "Due to the nature of it, the participants will be in the Domas-Flau infirmary as it happens, ~Kabo."

"Why?" Lucy's eyes narrowed suspiciously, having been one of the chosen participants for Team A, and she wasn't alone.

"A simulation…" Mato frowned. "Participants will be injected with a serum that stimulates the amygdala and induces a hallucination. The brain's electrical activity is transmitted to a lacrima receiving the data, which will let us watch what's happening inside your pretty little heads, some of which might be memories that the serum pulled to the forefront. The simulations will test you in various ways. Loyalty, courage, and such. And the simulation will make it so that you don't realize that what's happening is fake or that you're being tested, so we'll see the real you."

"Is this serum safe?" Eve asked, glancing at Hibiki, who they had decided would be the one do it while Eve handled the strength portion.

"I'm not allowed to say anything more on the matter, ~Kabo." Mato shrugged. "But...probably."

That didn't exactly assure them.

* * *

It had been decided that Pandemonium and Sim would alternate turns, though Pandemonium was expected to last significantly longer due to the nature of the event, with each participant going more than once.

Yeah…that wasn't going to happen.

* * *

"In Pandemonium lay 100 monsters." Erza murmured to herself thoughtfully before her voice hardened. "I choose to challenge _all_ of them!"

* * *

Jellal face-palmed at the declaration.

Of _course_ she would.

He carefully hid his slight smile from Meredy's discerning eyes.

* * *

"Weird, it looks like it's bigger on the inside somehow." Gray commented.

"It looks like it's upside down." Lucy said, tilting her head to try and see if that was the case, causing Gray and a few others to do the same.

Natsu's cheeks bulged. "Just looking at it makes me want to blow chunks!"

From the side, Ultear raised an eyebrow, glancing at Meredy wryly. This was the guy who her adopted daughter had decided to try and have a relationship with?

* * *

"Do you think she can do it?" Wendy asked from her seat as a spectator after the monsters had appeared. "Even the weakest ones look pretty strong…"

"Don't ask me." Gray shrugged. "I don't know what goes on inside her head."

"I do." Natsu grinned. "This is nothing. She's got this."

"That's Natsu for you." Wendy giggled. "He never worries about anything, does he?"

'He's too worried about defeating Erza himself.' Gray thought, but didn't say aloud.

* * *

'There's that Fairy Tail recklessness.' Doranbolt thought with a smile. 'It would appear that those seven years on Tenrou Island didn't change them as much as I had feared.'

* * *

"Woah! I think she's trying to knock them all out at once!" Romeo said, wide-eyed as Erza requipped her Heaven's Wheel armor and the monsters found themselves under fire as she used Telekinesis to attack with her swords.

"Doubtful." Mavis commented. "I think she was using that attack to test the waters to see how her opponents measure up, so she can use their weaknesses."

"That's definitely it." Makarov agreed. "In that instant, she could immediately tell which Requip to use against which monster."

Indeed, over the next few minutes Erza used her Requip constantly, changing her armor and weapon(s) based on which kind of monster she was facing, using the elements they used against them.

* * *

"Look at that!" Chapati shouted. "Fifty monsters have already been defeated!"

* * *

"That's insane!" the Quatro Cerberus mage chosen for Pandemonium grumbled.

"Don't you mean wild?" Eve asked with a smile.

"Her style is quite effective, balance in both strength and finesse." Jura commented.

"Sho and Wally would love to see this!" Millianna said with a smile.

"Are you kidding?" Orga grunted. "You're really impressed with this chick? She looks like she's gonna keel over."

* * *

"GO ERZA!" Natsu cheered.

"Is she gonna pull this off?" Gray wondered.

"She's exhausted, and the S-Class hasn't shown itself yet." Cana frowned.

* * *

The audience gasped in awe as Erza appeared to have been dealt a fight-finishing blow, only for the A-Class monster's arm to disintegrate, the redhead having used its strength against him by using the shield from her Adamantine armor.

* * *

"Titania cannot be stopped, folks!" Chapati shouted. "The monsters cannot keep up with her Requip! One by one even the most vicious monsters fall before her! She's taken hits and used up magic power but she keeps going!"

* * *

 _Day three of the Games…I'll never forget it. The miracle we witnessed! Despite her countless injuries, the fairy that should have fallen…soared. Titania, Queen of the fairies, triumphed! Like a scarlet rose blooming in full glory, sword in hand._

* * *

And you guys know the rest. And if you don't, I'm not going to spoil it entirely by giving a play-by-play of the rest of the battle.

* * *

"THAT. WAS. UNBELIEVABLE!" Chapati yelled. "Erza Scarlet defeats all one hundred monsters, and Fair Tail Team B sweeps up first place in an undisputed victory!"

The crowd went… _wild._

* * *

"The crowd is going bananas!" Chapati laughed.

"I thought the suspense was going to kill me." Yajima sighed, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

"I must say that was breathtaking!" Lahar, that day's guest judge, agreed.

'It took me a while, but…' Doranbolt thought to himself with a smile, tears pouring down his face. 'I can finally see it. The strength behind your recklessness.'

* * *

"What, you think that chick's awesome?!" Lector protested. "Orga would've beaten them all in ten seconds flat!"

"Her outfits look pretty awesome, though!" Frosch said quietly, causing Rogue's lips to quirk up into a small smile.

Lector was about to turn towards the green Exceed and give her (AN: I've decided in this story Frosch is a girl, since no one knows for sure) a piece of his mind, but caught the look Sting was giving him.

Remembering their conversation from earlier, Lector huffed, arms crossing.

Sting's own lips quirked a bit at his Exceed partner's petulance.

* * *

In the infirmary, Lucy and Juvia smiled proudly as they watched Erza stand proud before the audience.

Suddenly, both girls felt the prick of a needle, and both of them blacked out within seconds.

* * *

Juvia was first.

Unlikely as it was, Fairy Tail Team B's participants had both drawn a one.

* * *

Juvia choked as she was brought back to the Battle of Fairy Tail, where she and Cana had been caught in one of Freed's Jutsu Shiki traps.

Of course, she didn't remember it and thought that it was happening in real time.

 _Those lightning lacrima…body-link magic…danger…we need to stop them!_

 _Exiting these runes are forbidden until one of you can no longer fight…_

 _Juvia Lockser…you are and always will be a Phantom woman…who knows when she'll turn her sword against Fairy Tail again?_

Laxus and the Thunder Legion, but Freed especially, since he was the one to say the words and put the two women in that situation, were horrified and wrecked with guilt.

 _Damn you, Freed!_ The Cana illusion swore.

 _I suppose there is nothing to be done._ The real Juvia said quietly, transforming into her Water Body state. She whirled her body into a cyclone. _Freed-san. Will you really fight the one who remains with honor?_

 _I will never break my rules._ Freed's illusion stated.

 _That's good to hear._ Juvia's eyes sharpened as she prepared herself, forming herself into a more spherical shape.

 _Are you serious, Juvia?!_ Cana demanded. _You'll just be playing into his—_

Cana grunted as the sphere of water shot over her, bouncing against the walls of the warded area as Juvia propelled herself upwards.

 _It's no use! You can't get out no matter how high you go!_ Freed called.

 _If it takes being injured to open the path…if it's between my nakama or myself…_ Juvia said.

 _The lacrima?!_ Freed shouted, stunned.

 _Don't attack that!_ Cana screamed up at her.

 _Then Juvia will lead the way!_

And she impacted with the lacrima, destroying it and managing to smile down at Cana before screaming in agony as far too much electricity than was safe wrecked her nerves.

 _Now…the runes…are unlocked…_ Juvia smiled tiredly.

 _What were you thinking?!_ Cana demanded after her friend had fallen back down to the ground.

Juvia's eyes watered. _Juvia…wanted everyone to hurry and accept her…as a member of Fairy Tail…I love everyone…_

 _You're already one of us!_ Cana cried. _Being accepted? You're already nakama! You're a great Fairy Tail mage…_

* * *

In the real world, Cana had tears pouring down her face, not realizing (not that she would have cared if she did) the speculative glances that _she_ was getting.

She had just witnessed, for the second time, one of the most extraordinary things she had ever seen one of her friends do.

So much courage…she wasn't sure she would have done the same, especially after her actions on Tenrou Island…

Her head snapped up.

Courage.

That was what this memory was meant to test.

She caught a glimpse of Gray's white, horror-stricken face as he heard Juvia's tortured screams (come to think of it, Laxus and Freed looked that way too, but with more guilt).

In any other situation she would have teased him about his obvious regard for Juvia, but not this time.

The Card Mage choked on her sobs as she saw Juvia fall however many stories back down to the ground.

* * *

 _When Juvia next opened her eyes, it was to see her friends being tortured by faceless creatures made from shadows._

 _Wait a minute…_

 _Had Jose broken out of prison?!_

 _He was the only one she had ever known to make such things._

 _She tried to reach for her friends, to start an attack, to do_ something _, but found herself bound by thick chains._

 _The blunette tried to use her Water Body to get out of it, but her magic wasn't working._

 _Magic-nullifying cuffs?_

 _Annoying to deal with, but not impossible._

 _She managed to free herself within a few moments, but her wrists ended up with deep and blood wounds from the metal, and she'd had to break both of her thumbs to get the cuffs off, since leaving even one of them on would mess with her magic._

 _Biting her lip to keep herself from crying out, she shook off the pain, focusing on her friends' agonized faces._

 _Quickly creating a water whip, she sliced through the shadows, but more and more of them kept forming._

* * *

Gajeel smirked as he watched his oldest friend make her way through the challenge.

Only Pantherlily and the Shrimp could see the worry in his eyes.

Juvia had a bit of a…fragile mentality from growing up as isolated and virtually unloved as she had, and he hoped that this wouldn't break her.

After a moment of thought, he scoffed.

He wasn't giving her enough credit.

She had been an S-Class mage, one of the Element Four, the most powerful team in Phantom Lord. She had been right there with them when they faced Grimoure Heart, and had been chosen for the Games.

Sometimes he forgot that, as fragile as she could be, she was also one of the strongest people he knew.

This wouldn't drag her down.

* * *

And a few projected memories later, Juvia's trial had ended.

* * *

Mato wheeled out a Magic Power Finder, which had been adjusted to measure purely physical attacks as well for the non-magic using participants, and the two groups continued on with the event.

Millianna was up first, attacking the lacrima with her binding, magic-negating tubes.

365.

* * *

"Without a benchmark to compare it to, we don't know if that's a high score or not." Chapati realized.

"We Rune Knights also use an MPF as a part of our training." Lahar mentioned. "This level is a high score. High enough to make someone a captain."

"Then that's impressive, isn't it?"

"Feelin' spiffy!" Millianna cheered.

* * *

Nobarly from Quatro Cerberus got a 124.

Underwhelming when you compared it to Millianna's score or the absolute devastation Erza had brought down on those monsters.

* * *

Izumo from the exorcist group was up next, and she summoned two medium-sized fox demons, which leapt towards the lacrima, earning her a 180.

The purple-haired girl shrugged, unbothered. Her strong point was her mind, not brute force.

* * *

Eve was up first, launching a heavy barrage of snow and getting a 450.

* * *

"Well, that's hardly surprising." Lahar smiled genuinely. "Eve Tearm was in training to become a Rune Knight before deciding to join Blue Pegasus instead. He was slated to become a Major when he officially joined, which is a rank above Captain."

* * *

Eve bowed and smiled awkwardly at the acknowledgment.

* * *

Obra of Raven Tail for a four.

Makarov's eyes narrowed suspiciously when he observed the calm expression on his _former_ son's face, even as the redheaded Raven shouted at the masked man down on the arena floor.

Strength was _everything_ to Ivan, so why wasn't he reacting badly to one of his 'subordinates' having the lowest score out of everyone?

* * *

"120mm Black Lightning Canon!" Orga intoned.

3825.

* * *

"O-over 3000?!" Chapati mumbled, shocked.

"TEN TIMES MY SCORE?!" Millianna shouted.

* * *

'I've never seen a score like that, not in all my time in the Corps!' Lahar thought to himself, eyes wide in shock and not a little awe.

* * *

"Alright, can Jura, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, surpass this score?" Chapati wondered. "He's got everyone's attention…"

* * *

"Jura-san will win, won't he?" Chelia asked worriedly.

"Of course. I'm more worried about something else." Lyon said with a smirk.

Chelia tilted her head curiously.

* * *

"Do you mind if I take this seriously?" Jura asked.

"Go right ahead, ~Kabo!" Mato agreed.

Jura concentrated, bringing his hands and forming a gesture as if he was praying.

"Rumbling Mt. Fuji!" the large man shouted.

The sight that followed made a few in the audience piss their pants.

8544.

* * *

Orga's jaw dropped.

That was over twice his score!

Ten times more than the cat chick wasn't a big deal considering her inferior magic, but _his?!_

* * *

"In a word, unsurprising." Erza, who hadn't bothered to stay in the infirmary, said with a smile.

* * *

"He's probably evenly matched with Gildarts…" Makarov murmured.

* * *

Raven stepped forward for her turn, eyes raging with fury.

She wasn't particularly close to Juvia, but the blunette was a Fairy Tail mage, and as such, she was _not_ happy about what she had just gone through.

Well. She supposed there was a benefit of her powers getting stronger when she felt strong emotions…

"Azarath...Metrion…Zinthos…" she intoned, causing a huge black shape in the form of a raven with four glowing red eyes to spring up from her body. " _NECRONOM HEZBEREK MORTIX!"_

The raven shot towards the lacrima, and when it impacted the MPF was engulfed in black energy, trying to register the power as quickly as possible.

And then it exploded, shards falling everywhere around the contestants, most of whom were frozen in horrified awe.

* * *

"Shit…" Rin and Charlotte murmured, wide-eyed as they took in the fury in their fellow half-demon's eyes.

"Hope she gets a chance to calm down and isn't chosen for a battle." Rin said warily, with Charlotte nodding vehemently in agreement.

The purple-eyed girl didn't even look fatigued!

* * *

The other guilds groaned.

It just wasn't fair.

What was it about Fairy Tail that attracted powerhouses?

Gildarts Clive, Titania, the She-Demon, Toph Beifong, Juvia Lockser, 5 dragon slayers, 3 half-demons, 2 former Council members, 1 former Wizard Saint…and, what, technically seven of their members used magic that was formerly considered Lost (the dragon slayers, Meredy, and Ultear?

…It sounded like a fucked up version of the 12 Days of Christmas song.

* * *

Raven exhaled slowly, feeling her powers settle down a bit, before pulling up her legs into her meditation pose (some in the audience sweat-dropped as they realized that she was levitating), waiting for the ranking to be announced.

* * *

At this point the crowd was utterly exhausted.

The excitement and awe of the MPF, the anxiety, terror, and extreme sympathy from the simulation.

Constantly switching from one extreme to the other.

And now…it was Lucy Heartfilia's turn.

* * *

" _Wait! Don't give up! I'll save you!" Lucy demanded._

 _Leo smiled sadly as he began to fade. "Give my regards to everyone at Fairy Tail…"_

 _Lucy bit her lip, head down as she tried not to cry, before clenching her fists. "No!"_

" _Lucy…"_

" _I won't accept this!" Lucy looked up, glaring at her guildmate. "If you return to the Spirit World, your life-force will return really quickly! I'll make it so that you can return!"_

" _You can't do that." Leo disagreed. "The law is the law."_

" _But…this is wrong!" Lucy protested, shaking. "You didn't actually kill Karen! It was just an unfortunate accident!"_

" _Lucy…" Leo muttered helplessly._

" _Gate of the Lion, I open thee!" Lucy said, hugging her friend. "Return Loke to the Spirit World! Open! Please! Open!"_

" _Lucy, that's enough…please stop." Leo said as she fell against him._

" _I won't stop!" the blonde said, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "I can't stand by when a friend is disappearing before my eyes!"_

 _A yellow/gold column of light surrounded the two as Lucy brought forth all of her magic power. "Gate of the Lion, I open thee!"_

" _Lucy, don't use so much magic power at once!" Leo demanded, eyes wide in fear. He didn't want to lose her like that._

" _I said I'm going to save you, no matter what!" Lucy said, gritting her teeth. "I can force open the gate to the Spirit World…just watch!"_

" _Stop it!" Leo shouted, panicking._

" _Gate of the Lion, I open thee! OPEN!"_

" _It won't open!" Leo shouted as lightning crackled around them, even more powerful than before. "Spirits who let their contacted owner die can't go back to the Spirit World!"_

 _Lucy screamed._

" _Please stop!" Leo cried. "You're starting to erode along with me! At this rate you'll disappear when I do!"_

" _You won't die!" Lucy shouted back. "I won't let you die…what's the point of magic to begin with if I can't use it to protect my friends?!"_

" _Stop it…" Leo cried, heart breaking. "Don't make my crime worse than it already is!"_

" _What crime?!" Lucy demanded. "If that's the rule of the Spirit World, then I'll change it!"_

 _And then it happened._

 _The golden beams of light, the electricity flowing through the air…it all disappeared, and the paid where blown apart. The stars blurred slightly, beginning to make star trails as Leo and Lucy clung together in fear, and then through a portal…_

" _Is that…the Spirit King?!" Leo demanded, wide-eyed. "Why are you here?"_

* * *

And the memory continued.

* * *

From the Celestial Spirit World, pretty much every celestial spirit was watching Lucy's trials through a special screen that their king had conjured.

Ares teared up, crying silently as she held the Lion spirit in a vice grip, Leo (or Loke as he now liked to be called) hugging her reassuringly.

If not for her master, she would have lost her best friend…the person she loved.

* * *

Yukino nearly fainted in shock as Lucy opened a gate to the Celestial Spirit World without a key, and felt lightheaded when the King, of all spirits, came through.

She had been sad there for a while, thinking that Lucy's attempts to save her friend, Leo, were in vain…only for the blonde mage to literally do the impossible. And then to summon what Yukino realized were all of the other spirits contracted to her at the same time, and still survive to tell the tale?

Still, if any Celestial Spirit mage was to have that kind of power, she was glad that it was Lucy.

She didn't even want to think about the fact that the blonde had practically gotten up in the King's face and made her demands and accusations without caring that the King was probably one of the most powerful beings in existence.

* * *

'Big brass ones…she has them.' Thought almost every single person in the audience.

* * *

'How _manly!'_ Elfman shouted internally.

* * *

From far away, a certain Black Mage watched through the eyes of one of his demons, the one that he had planted in Raven Tail to spy on Ivan Dreyar's actions.

'Oh my…' Zeref raised an eyebrow, impressed at the young woman's power. 'Interesting…you certainly do your ancestors, Anna Heartfilia especially, proud.'

He felt a twinge of regret, recalling his actions on Tenrou Island, but tried to shake them off.

After all, if the world rejected him, why shouldn't he reject the world?

* * *

 _Lucy shot up with a gasp, noticing immediately that she was in the middle of a forest._

' _Where am I?' she wondered, gaze sharpening as she tried to remember how she had gotten here._

 _Her mind drew a blank._

 _The blonde stood up slowly, taking stock of her surroundings and listening careful for any enemies._

 _Hearing nothing, she sighed, taking out Pyxis' key so she could at least get her bearings, since the trees were so high and thick that she couldn't tell from the position of the sun._

 _However, before she could call for the spirit, she heard a strangled scream coming from somewhere ahead of her._

 _Without a second's hesitation, she started running as quickly as she could in the direction of the scream. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it…_

 _A few minutes later, Lucy burst into a clearing, only to find a faceless mannequin hanging from one of the trees._

 _Her eyes widened, breath catching in her throat as she noticed the black Fairy Tail emblem on its chest._

 _Silently, she Requipped her Fleuve d' Toiles and Capricorn's key. He was the fastest of her spirits, and if someone was in trouble, she needed him to get that person away quickly._

 _Or…she_ tried _to Requip them. But nothing happened._

' _What?!' her eyes widened, realizing that she wasn't able to use her magic._

 _Still…her normal whip wasn't in her pocket dimension, but on her belt, so she still had a weapon._

 _A moment later, she heard a twig snap behind her, and immediately spun around, launching an attack with her whip as she jumped away from the spot she'd been standing on._

" _Your spirits are unable to help you…" a raspy, disembodied voice whispered, seeming to come from all around her._

" _You're the one who blocked my magic?" she bit out, gritting her teeth._

 _All those years of training to the breaking point and even having to go to the hospital from straining herself too hard, only for her magic to be beyond her when she needed it._

" _Oh yes." The voice answered giddily. "It's more fun that way, you see."_

 _A figure suddenly appeared in front of her. It was tall, at least seven feat, and completely black. Was it made from shadows?_

" _My name is Phobos." The figure announced, before Lucy saw another figure in her peripheral vision. It was exactly the same as the first._

" _And I am Deimos." The second figured hissed as the two converged on her._

* * *

Raven, uncharacteristically, let out a quiet gasp.

"What's wrong?" Meredy asked nervously.

Levy swallowed, chalk white. "Phobos and Deimos are the Greek gods of panic and terror."

"But…they aren't real, right?" Romeo asked, biting his lip nervously.

"That does not matter." Juvia said, appearing in the doorway with the others who had been visiting her. She was still mentally and emotionally weak from her own test, but she couldn't stand being apart from the people that the serum had caused her to think were in danger. "The serum is limited only by her imagination."

There was silence as they all digested that information.

"Shit." Natsu muttered with a pained groan. "Damn it, Lucy! Why did you have to be an author, of all things?!"

* * *

 _Lucy dodged, weaving in and out of the trees as the two figures tried to capture her._

" _Enough!" one of them hissed, and Lucy instantly found herself paralyzed, bound in tubes similar to the ones Millianna used._

" _Let the fun begin!" the other figure hissed._

* * *

 _Lucy groaned painfully as she was thrown into a tree before the tubes moved to tie her to it._

" _We're going to play a game." Deimos murmured. "That mannequin over there is going to turn into one of your little friends." He spat out the last word in disgust._

" _We're going to torture you." Phobos added. "And if you scream or cry out, we will inflict the pain on your guild mate in your place."_

* * *

"NO!" about three fourths of Fairy Tail screamed in horror.

"You can't actually die in this, right?" Gajeel said, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"I sincerely hope not." Jellal muttered, pale as a ghost.

"What?!" Laxus growled, panicking even more at their commentary.

Sure, he was more calm than he used to be, but this was his _girlfriend_ they were talking about!

"Bunny Girl…has a high pain tolerance." Gajeel winced, gripping the ledge painfully as he remembered why he knew that. "And as we saw with her memory involving Simba (AN: hehe), she'll die before putting any of the people she cares about in danger. They're not going to be able to break her…and that's just going to make them try harder."

* * *

 _The two systematically tortured the Celestial Spirit mage, attacking her physically and magically as the dummy cycled through her friends' appearances to give her 'incentive' not to scream._

 _Her spirits, her friends, the kids in the guild…_

 _Of course, that made her all the more determined._

 _She didn't make a sound throughout the entire thing, eyes glazed over as she blocked out the taunts and tried to stay conscious._

 _After all, they hadn't said what they'd do if she wasn't awake for them to 'play' with._

* * *

" _Final round!" Phobos cheered. "You die!"_

 _Lucy cringed weakly, barely able to move from the beating she had endured._

 _She was covered in injuries. Second and third degree burns, long gashed caused by a whip littered her back (they'd released her from the tree) deep enough that the bone was showing. The small patched of her skin that weren't burned and blistered were covered in bruises. Her eyes were swollen shut, and her nose broken and bloody._

" _And the best part is that Fairy Tail will die with you!" Deimos hissed sadistically. "A magical guild is so thoroughly connected, it's rather easy to use Maguilty Sense to our advantage…"_

* * *

Meredy screamed in horror.

As if it wasn't bad enough that Lucy was going through this, but for _her magic_ to be a part of it!?

'Forgive me, Lucy.' She thought, tears pouring down her face. 'If you had never met me, you wouldn't know about my magic and they wouldn't have been able to use it against you.'

She was about to turn and leave, but felt a hand on her wrist, stopping her.

The pinkette paused, turning to see that Erik had stopped her.

"Oi, you know _damn_ well she would never blame you for this." Erik said with a scowl, glaring at her with one eye. "Will you be able to look her in the eye if you're too scared to watch?"

Meredy faltered, weak at the knees as Erik gently pushed her towards Natsu, who, of course, had heard everything, and had an interesting mix of approval (for Erik reassuring Meredy) and anger (that he'd dealt a low blow like that), which made him look constipated.

The female pinkette giggled at his expression, hiccupping slightly as Natsu wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

* * *

 _Fairy Tail is what you always wanted!"_

" _People who care about you!"_

" _Who won't use you like your father did!"_

" _Who would go to the end of the earth for you—"_

"— _like you would do for them!"_

" _DO SOMETHING!" the pair roared in unison._

 _Lucy screamed, clutching her head, before putting her hand to her guild mark and wiping it away._

 _Deimos and Phobos watched in satisfaction._

" _Congratulations." Phobos said emotionlessly. "Your friends will live to see another day."_

" _However, we cannot say the same for you." Deimos said with a smirk._

 _Lucy glanced at the mannequin to see that it had disappeared, and her last thought was that her friends were safe._

 _The world faded to black._

* * *

As the serum started to bring Lucy back to consciousness, one thing was for sure. The mages of Fairy Tail (and a few other guilds and the general public besides) would be having _words_ with whatever idiot(s) thought that a mind-altering serum was a good idea!

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Uh, Lucy waking up and rankings for this part will be at the start of next chapter. I just want to get this posted already so I can eat dinner.**

 **Sorry this chapter took so long.**

 **There's three reasons for that.**

 **Laziness.**

 **This is a fairly long chapter.**

 **I've been watching a few more anime series lately, and then burying myself deep in reading fanfiction and browsing fan art for them. I would absolutely recommend Seraph to the End (I think of it as kind of a mix of Attack on Titan and Blue Exorcist, but that's probably a really bad comparison) and Assassination Classroom, both of which are still being made, though Seraph to the End hasn't started its second season yet while Assassination Classroom is coming out with new episodes currently. I also watched Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren't They (?), which was entertaining, but I'm pretty sure it's over even though they left it at a cliffhanger. Not much fanfiction out there for it either, unfortunately. I couldn't even find it on Archive Your Own, which is a bummer, because I like the characters.**


	50. Laxus versus Raven Tail

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or ANY other characters aside from Charlotte Phantomhive, but even with her I made her the daughter of characters that aren't my own.**

 **Warnings: same as usual. Not as angsty as the last chapter, though.**

 **To the Guest who commented that Kozue sounds a lot like Lucy: Well, I don't disagree—there are a few similarities. But as she isn't an OC but a crossover character, there's not much I can do about that without changing who she is, or how I see her, at least.**

 **Millicat: Getting annoyed at the crossover aspect of the story? Really? The words 'lots of crossover characters' is** _ **literally**_ **in the summary, and I'm sure I mention it in the disclaimers for a majority of the chapters, at least. If you're one to get annoyed by crossover characters, this is not the story for you.**

 **Anyway, sorry it's been so long since I updated, everyone! I got caught up in other stories—both reading and writing, and my new job is data entry, so one of the last things I want to do in my free time is type some more. I can't promise regular updates, or every few days like in the past, but I will try not to go quite so long without at least officially putting this on hiatus (but I assure you if that does happen I wouldn't decide to abandon the story like I have some of my others.)**

 **Also, the next chapter will probably be longer, so don't worry.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Once Mato had managed to calm everyone down by assuring them that he would personally ensure that the king would have a _talk_ with the creators of the serum (he mentally groaned at the thought), the judges announced the first match of the battle round.

Unsurprisingly, the mood was still rather somber in the arena, though Porlyusica's report that Lucy would recover lightened their spirits somewhat.

Of course, no one was surprised when Laxus immediately left to go see her, either.

* * *

"I'm fine, Laxus." The blonde said with a small smile as her boyfriend covered her up with a blanket, making sure not to jostle her too much after seeing the state of her body from the illusion, with all of the burns, bruises, and lacerations. "I'm not in pain."

"Not physical pain, anyway." The Lightning Dragon Slayer said with a scowl, continuing to be careful with his movements, but not hovering quite as much.

Lucy was quiet for a long moment, before admitting. "That was pretty horrible. It was a relief to see my guild mark still on my hand when I woke up."

Laxus looked even more pained at that, reaching to take her hand. "You know gramps would've given you the stamp again even if it had actually been removed, right?"

She gave him another tiny smile, squeezing his hand gently in thanks. "Yeah, I know."

But it was still nice to hear.

"He loves you too much to let another guild try and snatch you up." Laxus continued with a smirk, trying to cheer her up a bit. "We all do."

Lucy blushed slightly, as did Laxus when he realized that he had just indirectly admitted that he was one of the people who loved her.

But then he brushed off the embarrassment, because honestly, who wouldn't love her?

* * *

Back in the arena, the first fight of the day had just ended, with Millianna from Mermaid Heel thoroughly defeating Semmes from Quatro Cerberus.

"They're really not having a good year, are they?" Macao muttered to Wakaba.

"You're telling me." His friend snorted, blowing out a bit of smoke. "I'm sure my cousin* isn't feeling particularly wild at the moment."

The two men were cut off as the judges announced the next contestants.

Everyone in Fairy Tail, besides the three in the infirmary (AN: I'm including Porlyusica even though she's not really an active member), turned towards their guild master.

"Well then…" Makarov grunted awkwardly. "Anyone feeling particularly brave right now?"

He wasn't surprised when more than a few people either back away or pretended that they didn't know what was going on.

Even those who could match him in a fight weren't all that interested in trying to separate him from his girlfriend right after she'd been through hell.

After a long moment, Kozue sighed. 'I'll do it.'

The others were more than willing to let her, especially since she wouldn't have to go get him in person, so she wouldn't be in any physical danger.

With that, she closed her eyes, feeling Rin's hand clasp her own as she established a telepathic link between her and Laxus.

* * *

As predicted, Laxus was _not_ happy at being called away, even though Lucy assured him that she would be perfectly fine, and even Porlyusica said that she would likely be out of the infirmary in time to catch the end of his fight.

It was only when Kozue told him who his opponent was that he hesitated.

On one hand, he didn't want to leave Lucy.

On the other…Raven Tail had apparently tried to pay someone to kidnap her, and this might be his only chance to find out the 'who' and the 'why' before it escalated, and he didn't want to risk her getting hurt if it did.

"Damn." He groaned, surrendering to women's urging and going back out to the arena.

* * *

Ivan Dreyar, from under 'Alexei's' mask, groaned as he caught a glimpse of his son's rather angry and tense body.

Of all the times for their inevitable confrontation, why did it have to be right after the blonde bitch his son was screwing had been hurt?

After all, a pissed mage was a powerful one.

Still, Ivan was confident that he could overpower Laxus any day, so he decided to continue with his plan…

A decision that he would later regret.

* * *

The battle turned out as well as could be expected.

Ivan had set up an illusion to make everyone watching think that Laxus was losing before taking off his mask, and was trying to bribe his son with a victory if he would tell him Fairy Tail's 'dark' secret, Lumen Histoire…

Which, of course, Laxus knew nothing about, not that he would tell the bastard anything, anyway.

Furious at his son's blatant disobedience and disrespect (the hypocrite—it wasn't like he had any respect for his own father), Ivan called down the rest of Raven Tail to punish and beat the information out of him.

Laxus dealt with his opponents swiftly, making sure that none of them would get up again, though he was infinitely more careful with Flare than the other mages, knowing what Lucy and Erik had realized about her place in the so-called guild.

"That's for Lucy." He muttered with a dark scowl as the illusion dissipated, showing the audience who had truly been winning the fight.

* * *

"Raven Tail is disqualified!" the judges announced as soon as they realized—sort of—what had happened.

Lahar, the guest judge, frowned severely down at the group. "Men, have Raven Tail arrested. We'll see if we can't bring them up on assault charges…"

He didn't like Fairy Tail, certainly, but that didn't mean that he would neglect his duties as a Rune Knight.

"Not the girl." Laxus called. "She's innocent."

Most took this to mean that she hadn't participated in the attack, but the Fairy Tail mages, or those old enough, at least, knew better.

She might very well have tried to attack Laxus, but knowing what they did about Raven Tail, they were certainly behind Laxus' decision.

"Nonetheless, we'll need to question her." Lahar replied, eyebrow twitching in irritation.

Laxus paused before shrugging.

"Meh, fine with me. But since I'm the 'victim' here—" everyone could hear the air quotes in his voice. "I'm the one who decides whether to press charges for assault, right?"

Lahar gritted his teeth. "Yes."

Laxus nodded at the acknowledgment—the reluctant agreement that came with their exchange being witnessed by hundreds of people, before surrendering Flare to the Rune Knights' custody, ensuring that they didn't put magic-nullifying cuffs on her like they did the rest of Raven Tail.

* * *

Lucy, now back in the arena as Porlyusica had promised, smiled broadly down at her boyfriend, and as he walked back up to where she was waiting, she got on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Are you okay?" Laxus asked, concerned.

"Perfect." Lucy responded with a grin.

Laxus didn't doubt that she was fine _now_ , but he wondered if she would end up with nightmares caused by the serum.

Hopefully not.

Still, he mused, Raven Tail was in custody. Lucy was safe.

…Or had Carla's suspicions about them not being the ones responsible for the attempted kidnapping been true?

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Again, the next chapter will most likely be longer.**

 ***Wakaba's last name is Mine, and I figure Goldmine might be more of a nickname. Either way, I think it's entirely possible that him and Wakaba are related. And somehow I don't think Goldmine would be all that disappointed if a relative of his chose Fairy Tail instead of Quatro Cerberus, considering he himself was a member of Fairy Tail before founding Quatro Cerberus.)**


	51. An Assassin, Surnames, and a Shock

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or ANYTHING in this aside from my OC Charlotte Phantomhive, and even she's the daughter of crossover characters from Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji.**

 **Warnings: same as usual.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Mirajane watched with narrowed eyes as a man in an exorcist's uniform snuck out of where the Fairy Tail guild was sitting, slipping a small vial into his pocket.

Glancing around, she saw that there was a cup of tea beside Raven, which Rin and Charlotte had brought her in an attempt to calm her down from her anger at the simulation earlier.

Raven hadn't touched it yet, but when the purple-haired girl lifted it to her lips, Mirajane's instincts went into overdrive.

"Wait!" she blurted, practically flying over to Raven, who glanced at her in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked in her usual monotone.

"I think someone put something in there." Mira explained, carefully sniffing at the drink. "Poison."

Her inner demons started purring in delight at the smell as Raven's eyes widened and she set the cup down.

"Beat me to it." Erik said, walking up from behind the pair, who turned to see him glancing at Mirajane appraisingly. "You like the smell."

It wasn't a question, of course.

Raven's eyebrow raised in slight surprise as she glanced at the white-haired supermodel and barmaid, who blushed under their watchful gazes.

After a moment, she shrugged. "Poison is a demon's favorite snack."

Raven stared at her. "Half-demons can't drink poison. And you're not in one of your Take Over forms."

Mirajane shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"Well, waste not want not." Erik said with a shrug, picking up the cup and taking a sniff himself, causing him to wrinkle his nose. "Blech. That blend smells nasty."

Mira grinned at the words, snatching the cup from the Poison Dragon Slayer's hands and turning towards Raven. "Do you mind?"

"Feel free." Raven answered, eyes widening as Mirajane took a long sip and let out a content sigh.

She still hadn't used her Take Over magic.

'Is that even safe?' she wondered.

She decided that it must have been, as fifteen minutes later Mirajane was still alive and healthy, occasionally sipping at the tea.

She didn't notice that a few feet away Kozue was getting rid of Rin's drink, and Sinon was doing the same with Charlotte's.

* * *

Arthur Auguste Angel, leader of the True Cross Order of exorcists, scowled as he realized that his minion had failed in his mission.

"I added the poison!" the man protested nervously. "I swear!"

"Not enough, perhaps?" Arthur asked dryly, running a hand through his long blonde hair.

The man pulled out the vial to show that he had emptied the entire thing into the cup of tea.

Arthur sighed, glancing once again at the trio of half-demons with the Fairy Tail guild.

There was Rin Okumura, of course. That boy had caused far more trouble with the Order than he was worth, and then he had _dared_ to run away when they tried to exercise their right to kill him.

His pride demanded that he, at the very least, die before the Games were over.

The next of the trio was Charlotte Phantomhive, daughter of the infamous Ciel Phantomhive, a human who had become a demon. Of course, even as a human he had done some horrible things.

He grimaced as he noticed that she was holding hands with another girl and that they were leaning close together.

'She's already bound for hell, what's one more sin?' he thought with a sneer. 'And dragging the other girl down with her…'

(AN: Despite those words, I have NOTHING against the LGBTQIA community. Obviously, as there are a few non-hetero couples in this story. I just figured it fit with Arthur's character if he was homophobic.)

And last of all…Raven Roth.

All of the exorcists had gotten at least a little bit nervous at the display of power that she had given during the strength-based contest, even Shura's brats, who in his opinion were far too…sympathetic…of the hell spawn.

At some point he would have to do something about them…

Why had he chosen that group to compete, again?

It wasn't like he didn't have older and more experienced men (and women) under his command.

* * *

Valka froze as she suddenly found herself being stared at by a few dozen people as her son introduced her.

"This…is my mom. Valka." He said, his voice holding a slight hint of wonder at the concept.

Her heart panged as she recalled—not for the first time, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last—that her decision to stay away had caused her son a life of solitude and torment before he'd managed to run away from Berk.

And even then he hadn't gotten away unscathed.

Thank god he'd had Toothless, and that Jack had found him, or else the loss of blood alone probably would have killed him.

After a long moment, Valka cleared her throat. "Hello."

Her voice was still hoarse from disuse, since most of her communication with the wyverns at the nest was nonverbal.

"It's so lovely to meet you, Mrs. Haddock." She was greeted by a young woman with long wavy blonde hair and brown eyes that emanated warmth.

"Valka, please." She managed to say as she was struck with a feeling similar to her son had had when he first laid eyes on the blonde, like she was this otherworldly being.

Ryder now knew that all Celestial Spirit mages kind of felt like that, but in his defense it was stronger in Lucy than any other that he'd met.

"I'd rather not be associated with that other name." Valka admitted with an awkward shrug once she'd shaken off that strange feeling.

She didn't dare look into the crowd to try and find the tribe.

Ryder smiled tightly, agreeing with the sentiment.

Unfortunately, he hadn't come up with another name by the time he joined Fairy Tail, so now the name Haddock was in his permanent file.

Still, if he and Jack ever got hitched, he could take his name.

Ryder Overland.

Riding over land.

Huh.

Now that he thought about it, that would be kind of perfect, wouldn't it?

He didn't notice Erik and Warren snickering and Kozue giggling into her hands as they heard his musings.

If only he knew that they'd all heard Jack thinking the same thing before.

* * *

Things were very different were the Vikings were gathered.

"Eh, Stoick." Gobber said, eyes wide as he stared at a familiar figure standing with Fairy Tail. "Stoick. You're gonna want to see this."

"What, Gobber?" Stoick asked in exasperation, fed up with being punched in the arm with Gobber's metal prosthetic as his oldest and best friend (even if the Hiccup situation had weakened their friendship) tried to get his attention.

"Look!" Gobber gestured wildly.

Stoick grimaced, steeling himself as he prepared to be faced with the image of his son—no, his _former_ son, and that blasted dragon.

Instead, the sight he was met with took his breath away.

Literally.

"STOICK!" Gobber shouted, panicked, as his friend's legs gave out from underneath him. "Get a hold of yourself, man!"

The red-haired Viking chief didn't respond, eyes staring blankly ahead as his mind tried to process what—or rather, _who_ —he had just seen.

His wife.

His wife who had been killed by dragons nearly twenty years ago.

Was this it, then?

Had the gods seen fit to curse him by showing him impossible things?

"Valka." He muttered hoarsely, standing up again, not noticing as he stumbled and bumped into his younger brother (Spitelout) and nephew (Snotlout.)

"Er, Stoick, that's not a good idea—" Gobber tried to stop him.

He didn't pay him any attention, pushing his way through the rest of his tribe to get to the exit.

It was more difficult than Stoick thought it should have been.

Ugh. Why were Vikings so _large?!_

The irony with the situation was that most Vikings were of the opinion that the larger you were, the better, and Stoick was one of them.

"STOICK!" suddenly Gobber was in front of him, bellowing in his face.

"WHAT?!" Stoick demanded with a snarl, armed with the most dangerous look Gobber had ever seen him with.

Gobber didn't want to do it, but it had to be done.

"Look at her." He urged. "Look _around_ her. What do you see?"

Stoick glared at his friend, but after a long moment when he lost the battle of wills, not having any real issue with looking at his wife again, he listened.

And after a few long minutes as Stoick's mind once again tried to process he was seeing, the huge man turned a rather worrying shade of red.

Valka. His lovely, lovely Valkyrie.

Conversing cheerfully with her son and the white-haired boy, gesturing wildly, grins on their faces.

And beside the blasted Night Fury was another dragon (wyvern, whatever.)

The same one that had taken her that night, all those years ago.

The one that had killed her.

Except that it hadn't.

Gobber shouted in alarm when Stoick's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed on the hard stone flooring.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **I've been waiting a long time to make that joke about Ryder taking on Jack's surname, I'll have you know. And it is actually the name Jack was born with, I wasn't making that up.**


	52. The She-Demon's Ultimatum

**Disclaimer: don't own anything aside from Charlotte Phantomhive (kind of), Vulpecula the Fox, 'Nick' the Phoenix, and Lena from Mermaid Heel. I think that's it, at least.**

 **Hi!**

 **Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been lazy, was immersed in other fandoms, and am transitioning into a new job, so I've also been stressed.**

 **Anyway!**

 **I can't promise regular updates (I was never good at those) or not to go on really long hiatuses, but for the moment I'm working on this again.**

 **ALSO, there are some relatively important notes at the end of the chapter, so tell me what you think about those if you're at all interested.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Mirajane crept up to the judges' table quietly, carefully watching the area of the stadium where the exorcists were lounging to make sure that none of them saw her up there.

"Miss Mirajane?" Yajima asked, surprised, when he noticed her presence, causing the other three judges to look at her as well.

Mira curtseyed, smiling prettily and batting her eyelashes. "Sir, it's a pleasure as always. I was hoping that I could have some of your time. I have proof of sabotage against my guild."

The men's eyes widened in shock.

"More sabotage?" Lahar repeated, eyes narrowing in concentration as he prepared to ask for a full report, as the head of the Rune Knights. "Aside from Raven Tail?"

Mirajane winced slightly at the reminder of that horrible guild. With any luck, not only would they stop attacking and kidnapping their members, but they would be able to successfully help Flare recover from her time spent with them.

"I'm afraid so." She agreed. "You see, I witnessed one of the exorcists pour the contents of a vial into tea that was intended to be served to some of our members. Due to my Demon Takeover Magic I'm able to…smell…poison, and Erik was on his way to warn them too, so disaster was avoided, but…"

"Oh, that is so NOT cool." Jason murmured, horrified.

"Miss Strauss, you said you have evidence to support your claim?" Lahar said, taking a notebook and pen from the desk behind them.

Mirajane understood that he wasn't trying to be accusing (for once), just wanted as much detail as possible, so she removed the half angel/half demon necklace that she had received for Christmas.

"This necklace contains a memory lacrima." She explained to them.

"Rune Knights are trained to be able to tell real from fake memories." Lahar mused. "As long as it's not fraudulent, a memory can be used in court."

Mirajane smiled triumphantly, knowing perfectly well what the result of that particular test would be.

"I had Erik add what he heard their leader say when his assassin failed, too." She said cheerfully. "Oh, and as you'll see in the memory, I ended up drinking the poison, so if you end up needing a sample of what they used…"

The white-haired beauty would never admit it, but she was greatly amused by the looks the four men started giving her as she casually mentioned drinking poison.

* * *

By the time everyone had come back from lunch and were ready to start again, Lahar had had the time to conduct the verification test on Mira's memory and contact the Magic Council for further instructions.

"This is a rather complicated situation." He explained to Mirajane. "The exorcists are our guests, and therefore were granted a sort of diplomatic immunity when they arrived. However, that does NOT cover attempted murder. The man who emptied the vial and Arthur Auguste Angel were implicated with those memories and will be arrested shortly, but unfortunately we don't know if any of the other exorcists were in on it. We don't want to arrest innocent people, but at the same time we don't want anyone who is guilty to go free. Even with the list of people who your guild is certain didn't have anything to do with it… (aka Rin's friends)"

Mirajane hummed, understanding the problem, tactfully deciding not to mention that the Rune Knights had never seemed particularly bothered about arresting innocent people in the past.

No reason to give the prideful man even more reason to dislike their guild.

"In other words, you want to take a 'wait and see' stance for now." Mirajane concluded with a smile.

Lahar froze as wisps of purple magic started flowing out of the petite woman.

"We can accept that, for the time being." She said sweetly, cracks appearing on her face. "But know this. If they try and hurt them—excuse me, if they try and hurt _any_ of us outside of a sanctioned battle, and they succeed because you were too cautious…well. I think I'll leave the consequences to your imagination. Have a good day, Captain Lahar!"

She left, dress waving behind her.

After a long moment, Lahar discreetly cleared his throat, wiping a few beads of sweat from his brow.

Earlier he had thought Erza Scarlet to be the most terrifying woman in Fairy Tail, what with her awe-inspiring performance in the Pandemonium event, but now he found himself questioning that assumption.

* * *

As Mirajane returned to her place with her guild, she noticed Erik raise an eyebrow at her, having (obviously) known what she was doing.

She smiled back at him, brining her memory of her confrontation with Lahar to the forefront of her mind.

Erik smirked, beyond pleased at the visual of Lahar looking like he was about to piss himself.

After all that shit Lahar had put him through back when he was a prisoner, the asshole more than deserved it.

And if Mirajane needed any ideas of how to fill that 'or else' threat…well, he had more than a few ideas to contribute.

But in the meantime, he would content himself with listening to the Vikings' thoughts as they helplessly tried to wake up their chief from his little 'nap.'

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **NOTES!**

 **So, I have a couple of projects in mind for the Aurora series, and I was curious about your guys' thoughts.**

 **1-My mom's boyfriend is a graphic designer who wants to add to his resume a bit, and he pretty much offered to do the artwork for a possible web-comic of this story. It would be a heck of a lot of work, especially since he's not into anime and I would need to basically give him a USB drive full of pictures for him to reference. I'm not promising anything, but…it's a possibility.**

 **2-I was thinking yesterday about how this story might have turned out if it was Wendy, instead of Lucy, who Zeref sent back to Magnolia. Eventually that evolved into Wendy coming back** **with** **Lucy, not** **instead** **of her, because I like how Lucy turned out in this story, but…yeah. So I'm also considering kind of re-writing this story again to allow for that. It would include more crossover characters, more details, some additional pairings (obviously it would NOT include Romeo x Wendy), more romantic scenes to flesh out the relationships, etc. Heck, I might even bring back the idea of Laxus ending up with an Exceed of his own. Feels too late for this version of the story, though.**

 **I would do my best to keep this version of Aurora going, but if I ended up liking that one better…well, I had also said I'd keep the original version of this story going, and look what happened there.**


	53. AN: VOTE!

Hello everyone!

So, I mentioned at the end of the last chapter that I'm considering writing an alternate version with this story, and I thought I would give you guys a chance to vote on some of the things I'm thinking about. This doesn't mean that the winning choices WILL happen, but it does give you guys a chance to express your opinions and make suggestions.

* * *

VOTE FOR THESE (?):

Should I bring back just Wendy OR Wendy and Lucy?

Any ideas for a team name for Wendy, Sting, and Rogue? I'm thinking Team Draco, considering their draconic parents and the fact that Draco is the dragon constellation, but I'm open to ideas.

In this story, Raven from the Teen Titans television series is one of the crossover characters. Should I make it so that Beast Boy ends up joining her in Earthland? It's very doubtful I would bring over anyone else but him, but I guess feel free to offer other suggestions.

Should I bring back the idea of Laxus ending up with an Exceed partner?

Any ideas for Wendy's love interest? By the time the Tenrou get back she'll be 19, so way too old for Romeo (and Chelia for those of you that like that pairing). Votes for Sting and/or Rogue won't count, for the reason listed down below. I would prefer someone (male or female, I don't care) who wasn't trapped on Tenrou, and no Doranbolt, but other than that…

* * *

THINGS ALREADY DECIDED (or very close to decided):

Sting and Rogue meet Wendy before they have a chance to join Sabertooth and her status as a dragon slayer, paired with knowing the Natsu and Gajeel are/were members, causes them to join the guild.

Yukino will join Fairy Tail at a young age, shortly after Sting and Rogue do. She will compete for Sabertooth in the Grand Magic Games, but it will be because she's on an infiltration mission from the Magic Council, because they suspect Jiemma of consorting with dark guilds (which, everything considered…) It'll make things more interesting if she _does_ end up with Minerva.

Flare Corona will end up running into a Fairy Tail member and joining the guild before Ivan Dreyar has the chance to snatch her up, meaning Raven Tail won't have a chance to abuse her, and she'll be able to learn how to interact and live around decent human beings instead of living as those assholes' punching bag and not knowing any better.

* * *

SERIES I'M LOOKING TOO FOR CROSSOVER CHARACTERS:

 **All of the ones from the first Aurora Re-Write… (more characters may be brought in from them)**

Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sword Art Online, Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your Dragon, Naruto, Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler), Blue (Ao No) Exorcist, Teen Titans, Chaos;Head, Ouran High School Host Club

 **New possible ones…**

Black Bullet, Code Geass, InuYasha, Soul Eater, Assassination Classroom, Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?, and Seraph of the End

Note: I'm not going to choose a character from something I haven't seen. The series listed above are the only ones I am currently adding (or thinking about adding) characters from. Please accept that and don't spam me with requests of characters from other series (though feel free to ask about specific characters from the series that are listed.)

* * *

Thanks!

-RayvnAshes2


	54. AN: 1ST CHAPTER OF NEW AURORA STORY UP!

**Hi guys! Just posted the first chapter of the 'Wendy is also sent back before Tenrou disappears' version of this story! Check it out if you're interested!**

 **(And again, yes, I do intend to continue writing this version of the story.)**

 **Not sure when I'm going to post the next chapter of this, but it won't be too long.**

 **In the meantime, anyone have any recommendations on how Fairy Tail and the Rune Knights can not-so-subtly harass the exorcists until they announce that they know about the attempted assassination?**


	55. Intimidation Tactics

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything aside from a few characters, who have already been listed in one of the chapters.**

 **NOTE: chapter five of the third version of this (the one where Wendy gets sent back to Magnolia by Zeref alongside Lucy) is up! Be sure to check it out if you're interested and haven't already!**

 **ALSO! I splurged a bit and bought myself a button maker, and plan to start a business on Etsy. I have very little artistic talent with anything aside from writing (and even that's debatable), but do any of you have any suggestions for other things I could put in button form? So far I've got plenty of ideas, but it never hurts to ask, right?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The senior exorcist who had poisoned that stupid Fairy-whatsit guild's demon spawn—the elder of the Okumura twins included—gulped as he could have sworn he caught sight of that terrifying white-haired woman glancing at him.

That smile…why did she have to give him that smile?

Honestly, her expression was perfectly innocent. He was sure that no one else who may have been watching her would guess the darkness lurking under her skin.

But he knew.

During her fight with that woman who had been the guest judge—the one where all of the women in the magic guilds had apparently gone bat-shit crazy—the Strauss girl had turned into a demon far more terrifying than he thought Okumura would ever be capable of. Even the other two half-demons in that gift, the females, didn't quite measure up to her from what they'd seen so far.

But not even his fellow exorcists believed him when he claimed that the She-Demon was going to kill him.

Well, maybe those junior exorcists under Shura's command, but really, they'd been pegged as demon-sympathizers a long time ago, so they would probably cheer the mage on.

Anyway, he had caught a glimpse of what was under that woman's bright and cheery persona—she was a demon far worse than any real demon he had faced.

He might not have been so terrified if she didn't keep drinking what looked like bleach from a small vial that looked so much like the one he had used in his attempted assassination of their hellspawn.

After a long moment, he risked another glance, and saw one of the woman's guildmates—the guy with the maroon hair and long white coat—accept his own shot of whatever was in that vial from the woman, lifting his glass in a silent 'cheers' before chugging it down in one go.

He gave a low whine, causing the man to smirk directly at him.

* * *

Arthur Auguste Angel, Paladin and therefore leader of the exorcists of the True Cross, scowled down at his subordinate, who had been so easily cowed by those insignificant mage's intimidation tactics.

He was slightly wary, however.

If nothing else, their little 'show' made it quite clear that they knew perfectly well who had almost been responsible for their members deaths.

The blonde would never admit it to anyone on pain of death, but he had been slightly…nervous…during the guild's multiple displays of power.

In comparison, the elder Okumura twin was a small fish dwarfed by sharks.

But no matter.

They had the will of the divine being behind them.

They would NOT lose to these magic-using heathens.

* * *

From the judge's table, Lahar sighed.

It hadn't even been ten minutes since Strauss had brought her 'concerns' to them, and already it looked like she had made one of the visiting exorcists pass out from fear.

He wouldn't admit it, but he could hardly blame the man for that.

Fairy Tail mages were terrifying, if not because of their power than due to their sheer unpredictability.

He knew that if nothing was done about those exorcists soon legally, it wouldn't be long before Fairy Tail acted on their own.

Of course, having recognized the poison that they had tried to use on their intended victims, Lahar was a little tempted to let them.

Not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

He had a reputation to uphold.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**

 **Don't worry, at some point these chapters will get longer again.**


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